When Worlds Collide
by bakstar1996
Summary: An eight story line epic about the Tenth Doctor when he meets a Class Five mutant named Rebecca Mason. Their travels bring them closer than the Doctor has ever been with anyone before, leading him to realize that sometimes he needs someone to save him.
1. Episode One: First Impressions

The TARDIS spasmed and twirled as it traveled through the time vortex as if we were sliding down a fun slide. Our feet stumbled across the floor, trying to keep our balance while the Doctor's big blue box flew us through time.

"Where are we going?" I shouted over the beeps and groans of the machine.

"The Daleks are back!" he shouted in response. "I can't defeat them alone. I need help."

The tails of his long, brown trench coat flapped behind him as he ran around the control console, pressing a multitude of buttons and hitting a large circular one with a sledge hammer.

Then, the TARDIS jolted one last time before it landed wherever the Doctor was taking me, and we both fell to the floor. I rolled onto my side and stood up slowly.

"I don't think my back is going to ever get used to that," I mumbled.

"Oh stop your complaining," he said. "You're eighteen years old. You can complain when you're nine-hundred-three."

I chuckled. "So are you going to tell me where we are now?"

"Let's find out!"

The Doctor flew past me and ran down the ramp to the door.

"You do know where we are, right?"

He left me answerless as he opened the door.

"Doctor?"

I ran after him and walked through the TARDIS door. What I saw was oddly normal. A large, beautiful mansion stood before us and the cool air brushed against my skin. The green grass we stood in was plush and vibrant and the sky was cloudless.

"This is where you think we're going to find help? Earth?"

"Alex, come on! I know I heard something!" A young girl's voice echoed across the lawn as she neared us.

From the corner of the mansion, two teenagers emerged. The boy was tall and muscular, medium height, and his square jaw made him look older than I assumed he was. His blue eyes lit up against his short blond hair. The girl was a few inches shorter than the boy, but she her confidence made up for the lost inches. She placed her hands on her curvy hips, and the bottoms of her straight hair turned into ribbon like curls which were pulled back in a loose ponytail. I couldn't help but notice her toned arms that made me think that she could take even a college wrestler down in a fight.

"Oh, hi," she said to us. She jogged over and smiled. "Can we help you?"

"Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is my friend, Micaela. Now, would you mind telling us where we are?" asked the Doctor.

The girl laughed. "Can you tell me how you got a police box here? I didn't know those things were even used anymore."

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine."

She smiled. "You're in Westchester, New York on the campus of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I'm Rebecca."

X.X.X

Rebecca's POV

X.X.X

I looked over the two people standing before me.

Micaela looked to be in her late teens and she smiled with an excited exuberance mixed with confusion and wonder. She was about five-foot-six and she had sexy curves that would have made Marilyn Monroe jealous. She had shoulder length auburn hair that she parted to the side.

The Doctor was at least six-feet, lanky, and expelled a feeling to me that he knew things no one else could. His light brown hair was spiked forward, little pieces pointing in every direction. His wide, dark brown eyes looked at me in fascination and his smile was wide and vibrant. He was wearing a blue suit and a long, light brown trench coat whose pockets were stuffed with his hands.

"So what is this school for the gifted?" asked the Doctor. "Who's the gifted?"

"It's a school for mutants," I said proudly.

"Excuse me, what?" asked Micaela in an elegant English accent. "Mutants?"

"Ah-ha!" shouted the Doctor, throwing his hands in the air. "Mutants! Brilliant!"

I couldn't help but smile. "Where are you two from?" I asked.

"Out of town," he said cooly.

I nodded and shifted my glance over to Micaela. I saw the confusion across her face.

"Mutants?" she mumbled to herself.

"Yeah, you know...mutants."

"I'm going to go tell the professor someone's here," said Alex. His voice was uneasy.

Before I had a chance to say anything, his back was turned and he was jogging to the door.

I looked back to her and there was no glimmer of recognition. The Doctor, on the other hand, was ecstatic- his smile gleaming with excitement.

"When you say out of town, you don't mean out of state, do you?"

The two looked at each other before the Doctor answered.

"No."

"Well then, I guess we should start from the beginning."

"I'd love to hear it, really, but we've got a…situation and we could really use some help."

"So, I guess that means you want to talk to the Professor?"

"You catch on quickly."

"He's right inside; let's go!"

I jumped up, waited for them to join me and then began to walk across the gravel towards the door.

"You know," said the Doctor, leaning in. "there's a much cooler way of saying let's go."

"Yeah, what's that?"

He leaned in closer. "Allons-y."

I laughed out loud. "Allons-y?"

"It's a very cool word. It's French."

I laughed again. "Oh, well it just got much cooler now that I know it's French.

He raised his eyebrows, and he waited for me to respond.

"I'm still not going to say it."

He threw his hands in the air. "Fine…but it's still cool."


	2. They're Here

"You know," I said as we walked through the hallways of the school, "you remind me a lot of the Professor."

"Really? How so?" The Doctor walked next to me, his hands now in the pockets of his blue suit pants.

"You're personalities are a lot alike. Both of you seem very fascinated by new things."

"That I am."

I smiled. "So where are you really from?"

He took a deep breath. "Another planet."

"England," chimed in Micaela. "Walton to be more specific."

"So I think I can infer that you're not human."

"Time Lord."

"Why are you telling her all this?" whispered Micaela. "You never tell anybody just like that."

"Well, she's a smart girl; I can tell. She would've figured it out sooner or later."

I could tell my cheeks went red. "I'm going to take a wild guess here, but I'm assuming Time Lord is alien?"

The Doctor chuckled, but Micaela continued to study me.

"Yeah, I am."

The conversation ended as we reached the Professor's office. I creaked the door open slightly and peeked my head in.

"Hi Professor," I said.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" He smiled at me as he finished reading the last sentence of an article.

"I have a couple people who would like to meet you."

"Then bring them in."

I opened the door all the way and stepped inside his office, giving the Doctor and Micaela an open walkway. When I looked to my right, I saw Alex standing there, his arms across his chest. Micaela walked in slowly behind the Doctor, who walked in like he had been in there a thousand times.

I watched the Professor's face as they walked in and I saw his eyes lock onto the Doctor. He stared at him intently- I could tell he was reading his mind. By the look of the Doctor's eyes, I could tell he knew it was happening too. The Professor's face became very dreadful.

"You are very far away from home," he said. His voice was almost at a whisper.

"Yes, I am." The Doctor's voice remained strong.

"You're a Time Lord; I've heard of your kind before, but only in myths. There used to be a whole planet of your people." He paused. "But now there's only you."

"How did he know all of that?" asked Micaela. Her face was contorted with confusion.

"Professor Xavier is a telepath," I explained. "He's one of the most powerful mutants alive."

"Is he Class Five too?"

"I'm not really sure; he's never said."

The Professor moved around his desk and waved over to the chairs, his metal wheelchair glimmering in the sunlight.

"Please, take a seat," he said.

Micaela nodded a thank you and sat down.

"Thanks, but I'd rather stand," said the Doctor.

The Professor nodded and stopped himself in front of his desk and faced us. I walked over to the edge of the Professor's desk and took a seat on the corner.

"Something terrible is happening," read the Professor. His eyes were locked back on the Doctor.

"The Daleks have returned." The Doctor's voice was cold and sharp. I could almost taste the bitterness that flowed from his tongue. "I can't defeat them alone."

"You need us."

"If you'd allow it, yes."

"Wait a minute, what's a Dalek?" interrupted Alex.

"Hold on a minute."

The Doctor's eyes shifted toward the window and his hands had risen to tell us to be quiet.

"Doctor," said Micaela, "what is it?"

"Shhh!" He stood up and waved his hands up and down. "Listen."

We all quieted and looked around the room as we listened for this mysterious noise the Doctor was hearing. Then, I heard a muffled noise from outside. It vaguely reminded me of a bubble machine.

"I hear something," I whispered. "It sounds like something flying with a silencer on the engine."

The Doctor moved slowly toward the window.

"If Daleks find anything out of the ordinary," said a high pitched, robotic voice, "exterminate!"

I looked over at the Doctor and his eyes grew wide. He reached the window in two steps and slowly moved the curtain back. My curiosity overshadowing my fear, I slowly took a place next to him.

Flying above the ground, were several oversized pepper shaker-resembling things heading straight for the school. They had three silver rods extending from their metal shells. One had a blue camera and was positioned toward the top of the thing as if it was an eye.

Then in the middle of its body were a laser on one side and a small suction-cuppy looking device on the other.

"They're here," said the Doctor. He bent his neck to get a better view. "But there are only a few of them. Scouts."

"What are they?" Alex stood behind me, staring out the window from over my shoulder.

"THAT is a Dalek. They're aliens that know nothing but hate. They are the ones who killed my people."

The Doctor spoke quickly as his brain worked faster than his mouth. Suddenly, he flipped his body around and faced the Professor.

"Get the students to a safe place. Now."

The Professor looked at for him for a moment, then, without question, wheeled himself to the other side of his desk and pushed a button on the underside. An alarm rang throughout the school and I heard the wood paneled walls move as they revealed several emergency escape passages.

"The teachers are wondering what's going on," said the Professor. "What do I tell them?"

"Tell them nothing," spat the Doctor. His panic was rising. "Just tell them to let me take care of it."

Then, a large bang echoed through the room as the front door to the school was blasted off its hinges. The Doctor and Micaela walked to the door. He reached for the knob, but paused and looked at her.

"What?" she said. "I've been against them before, I can do it again. Besides, I'm not going to abandon you."

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to persuade her otherwise. I took a few steps forward and nodded to Alex to do the same. He nodded back and moved next to me. The Doctor opened the door and carefully ventured out into the hallway. Micaela, Alex and I followed after him.

"Professor, go with the kids," I said as I left. "They need you."

I banged the wall and another passage opened. He nodded and began to go through. Once the wall closed, I went into the hallway. The Doctor and Micaela stood side by side and Alex flanked them. I took my stance next to Alex and looked down the hall.

One of the Daleks came through the foyer and stopped. He was facing straight ahead, unaware of us. Slowly, it turned and faced us. It's blue eye scanned us from head to toe. Then it looked at the center of our pack and stared at the Doctor.

"The Doctor!" shouted the alien. "Our greatest enemy!

Exterminate!"

Alex stepped forward and aimed. He took a deep breath.

"No, no, no! Wait!" The Doctor stepped in front of Alex, sprawling himself out to stop him from firing.

"Try to give them a chance."

The Doctor straightened himself out and stepped toward the Dalek.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "What do you want?"

"We do not answer to the Doctor."

"Then answer me," I blurted out. "Why are you here?"

The Dalek's camera turned to me. "We do not tolerate outbursts. Exterminate!"

Out of the thin cage on one of the metal rods shot out a blue laser beam. I raised my hands and moved them in a circular shape, creating an air field around us. Then, as the laser hit the barrier, I shot my hand out and up, redirecting the beam toward the ceiling. It hit the wood and splinters fell down around us.

"Something never seen?" The Dalek stared at me.

Alex stepped forward again and this time took no hesitation in shooting a large, red energy beam at the Dalek. The shot shattered the tank-like shell and smoke filled the air. As the fog cleared, we saw a gaping hole in the center of the shell and a large splat of goop was flattened around the inside.

"Is the goop the actual Dalek?" I asked.

"Yeah," answered Micaela. "The shell is just protection."

"Wow," said the Doctor. "I forgot how amazing mutants are."

He took off down the hallway and stopped at the corner.

"Well, come on then! There's more."

Alex and I looked at each other before running after him. We went floor by floor around the mansion, taking out any Daleks we found. I continued to defend us with an air shield while Alex took out the Daleks. Once we did one extra check of the campus, we deemed the campus clear.

"Alright," said Alex. He was breathing heavily from running around the entire campus and he rested his hands on his knees. "What the fuck," he pointed toward the mansion, "are they?"


	3. Questions Answered

"What the hell do they want with us?" Alex straightened himself and stared at the Doctor, glaring at him for answers.

"Those are Daleks," said the Doctor. "They were created a long time ago; longer than you can even fathom. They're a race that knows nothing but hate and destruction. They work solely to conquer anything and everything around them. Nothing can change their minds and when they say they're going to destroy something, they'll do it." He paused. "They must have sent scouts down to check out the opposing forces."

"When the Dalek saw you," I chimed in, "it said you were its greatest enemy. How did you get that title?"

The Doctor sighed heavily and walked around in a small circle and rubbed his hand back and forth through his hair. When he looked at me again, his eyes had morphed from bright and excited to dark and heavy- the eyes of a man who has seen too much.

"The Daleks and the Time Lords battled each other in The Last Great Time War. A very long time ago. In the war, all of the Time Lords, our planet…everything…was destroyed. I had thought the Daleks went with them but a few escaped."  
>"If all the rest of the Time Lords died, how did you escape?"<p>

There was a moment and the Doctor bowed his head and stared at the ground. Micaela silently took a stance next to him and held his hand in hers.

"I escaped because I killed them. The last days of the Time War were hell. Desperation set in and people plan and do stupid things out of desperation. I ended the war by killing both sides and then put it in a Time Lock."

"A Time Lock?" The professor wheeled forward, deeply interested.

"It's a physical lock in time- no one can go back to that time and no one in that time can get out."

"So you're really the last Time Lord. You can't go back and stop the war?" asked Alex.

"No."

There was a beat of silence.

"Well that must suck."

"Alex!" I hit him sharply in the arm. "Be a little more considerate."

"Ow!" Alex rubbed his arm.

"I have a question," I said, trying to change the subject. "If you're from another planet, how are you speaking English?"

"It's the TARDIS' language circuit. The police box- that's the TARDIS. It translates everything to the common language of the planet. And, it doesn't hurt that I can speak every language."

"Every language? Ever?"

"Yup."

"Ok, then why do you have an English accent?"

"Why not?"

I smiled. "True."

"Hold on, please. What's a TARDIS?" asked the professor.

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It's my time machine."

"It's a wooden police box," I said.

"It's bigger than you think."

I nodded slowly, trying to comprehend everything.

"Wait a second, you got to ask questions; now it's my turn." We all turned to Micaela who had stepped forward, her hands on her hips. "I pretty much put together what a mutant is: you're like super humans."

"That's one way to put it," scoffed Alex. "But, basically we're humans with special powers."

"But how?"

"The X Gene. It's a mutation that occurs in our DNA; scientists are saying that we're the next stage in the evolution of humans."

"So you control air and he can shoot energy from his chest?"

"I control the five elements: air, water, earth, fire and lightning," I said, crossing my arms. "And yeah, you're right about Alex."

Micaela nodded her head and we quickly got back to the crisis at hand.

"So," began Professor Xavier, "these Daleks. How exactly so you defeat them?"

"I don't know."

The Doctor looked solemnly at Micaela and then at each of us.

"I know," said Alex. We all turned to him. "Blow 'em up."

"I am _not _committing genocide."

The Doctor suddenly became very rigid and his rage seemed to bubble just below the surface. He let go of Micaela's hand and stepped toward Alex.

"Then stand back and we'll do it." Alex stepped forward as well, not backing down. I tried to grab his arm, but he slid away. He and the Doctor stood face to face.

"Alex, I know you have more compassion than that," said the professor calmly.

"But why waste it on these aliens that know nothing but hate? All they want is to kill us; conquer us. Plus, you said so yourself," he pointed to the Doctor, "there's nothing that can change their minds. So our best option is to kill them." He paused. "Before they kill us."

There was a moment of silence before Micaela spoke.

"He does sort of have a point," she said.

The Doctor turned around and stared at her in horror.

"Doctor, you've tried to get through to them before- multiple times. Nothing has worked; it's a lost cause."

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply. "There's got to be a way. There has to be something I haven't tried yet."

"We can always try reason one more time," I proposed. "One last chance. We go in ready to attack if needed- have a plan already set- but try to compromise. If it doesn't work then we do what we need to."

The Doctor looked at me and gave a small smile, but his composure still remained solemn.

"I don't know what to propose to them. What do I try that I haven't already?"

"Well we don't have to go face them tonight."

The Doctor smiled again. "You think even while faced with things you've never seen. You don't go to violence; you think."

I smiled warmly.

"But they know I'm here," said the Doctor, returning to the more pressing conversation. "They know I'm planning to stop them. They're going to start moving their plan forward and fast."

"What do we have to do?" asked Professor Xavier.

"First off, you are not going to go alert your whole school and tell them what's going on; I'm not going to try to reason with them with an army of mutants behind me. That's not quite the peaceful message I want to portray. You are the only ones to know. You've got that?"

"Yes, we do," said the professor. "And I promise you we will do everything we can to help."


	4. Welcome to My World

The Doctor nodded and grinned slightly, showing his appreciation of our promised help. Then, we moved back inside as the fall breeze came through, giving us all goose bumps.

"Come on downstairs," instructed Professor Xavier. "We can plan our actions down there."

The five of us got into the elevator and went into the lower levels of the mansion. As the doors opened and Alex, the professor and I stepped out, the Doctor and Micaela looked around in fascination.

"An underground facility," marveled the Doctor, craning his neck to take in the scope of everything. "That's brilliant."

"Thank you," said the professor, moving toward a room I had never entered before.

He came up to the large, metal double doors and maneuvered his chair just to the right. He pushed his neck out and the circular panel opened, revealing a turquoise light. Then, the light extended from the panel and scanned the professor's eyeball, confirming his identity.

"Hello, Professor," said the robotic female voice.

The heavy doors slid open and revealed a modern day war room, complete with a large circular table and a lit up map of the world spread out on the back wall. We all walked in and took seats around the table.

Professor Xavier took his place at the head, and pressed a small red button on the left edge of the table. Mechanics under the table turned and the center of it opened up. A silver tray appeared out from the belly and took its place on top. We all stared in wonder at what it was.

"So," said the professor, "we are here, at the school."

Suddenly, the metal on the tray began to rise, revealing itself to be small magnetic balls. They quickly arranged themselves into a model of the school, the sound of shimmering metal highlighting their movements.

"How far do these Daleks travel from their base of operations usually?"

"Not far, really," responded the Doctor. "Especially if they were just scouts. The commander won't be far away."

"Well, within a twenty mile radius, there are two empty buildings. One is an empty mansion, left abandoned when the single woman living there died four years ago. It's still in her name so they can't sell it. The other is the old high school. It was left when they built a new campus down the street."

The transforming metal shifted again, this time zooming out to a twenty mile radius and showed the two buildings.

"Which I thought was ridiculous; the old buildings were only a few years old. But, hey, that's private schools," said Alex.

"Private school?" The Doctor sat forward, putting all of his weight on his elbows which dug into the table.

"Yeah…is that important?"

"What did the school focus on? What brought kids in?"

"It's a science and math based education," I said. "Some of the most promising new scientists and mathematicians came from that school."

The metal moved again to zoom in on the school.

"So they would have a state of the art science laboratory?"

"Better than state of the art. It was like Scripps in there."

"Yes!"

The Doctor's loud exclamation caught us all off guard as we jumped in our seats. Micaela, though, just sat and smiled as if she had seen him do this a thousand times.

"That's where they'll be. A giant abandoned, state of the art science lab."

"What are they going to do with beakers and flasks? They don't even have hands."

Alex crossed his arms, skeptical.

"No, but I doubt we are the first they've come across. They wouldn't show their presence unless they were making progress on whatever plan they're coming up with to destroy us. For all we know, they found the teachers or maybe just some everyday people, took them hostage, and are making them do the work."

"How would everyday people do the work? They wouldn't know how to work anything; these Daleks arn't very smart, are they?" scoffed Alex.

"Oh, but you're very, very wrong. They are clever. Extremely clever. If the people they took don't know how to do it, they'll instruct them. Step by step."

"What if they've never seen the equipment before?" I asked.

"They are quick learners too," he replied, turning to face me. "They could figure out how to use the most up to date technology in five minutes flat."

"How?"

"Because to them, this is primitive technology. Timeand space, remember?"

"Right…"

"Doctor, do you have any idea what they might be doing?" asked the Professor, taking his chance to jump in.

"Not a clue."

"Well that's helpful." Alex stood. "Like I said before, we can't just sit here and wait to find out. We need to go and fight them now before they finish whatever science thing they're working out. We know where they are; let's go!"

"We can't go now," said the Doctor calmly. "We need some idea what we're dealing with. Going in blind would be a death sentence."

"They're not exactly going to come over for some snacks and tea and tell us!"

"Professor Xavier, do you have a supplies list of the labs at that school?" The Doctor ignored Alex, which made his anger flare even higher.

"No, but I can easily get one."

"Good. If you can get that to me as soon as possible, I'll see what resources they have and then we'll go from there."

"What happens if they attack somewhere else?" I stood as well.

"They won't. What you did scared them; they've never seen mutants up close before. Mutants are rare in the far future with the human race breeding with all different species and all."

My brow furrowed and I quickly decided to change the subject. "So tomorrow is the earliest time to face these things, right?"

"Seems so," confirmed the professor. He pressed the button again and the metal retracted back into the middle of the table.

"If we're done, I'm quite starving," said Micaela, standing as well. "Is there a kitchen around?"

"Yeah, I'll show you," offered Alex.

"Doctor, do you wanna come?" she asked eagerly, an over exaggerated smile on her face.

"No, I'm good thanks," he replied.

Her face fell, but she quickly smiled again and she and Alex walked out of the room, he letting his hand brush my arm as he did.

"So Doctor," I began, "would you like a tour? We have nothing better to do while you're waiting for those lists."

He smiled a wide grin, showing off his teeth. "Sure."

I began to show him around the rest of the basement, explaining what each of the rooms were and the reason for the several black leather uniforms preserved in glass cases.

"The teachers here are a group of mutant avengers?" he asked, overtaken by shock.

"Some of the students too," I said proudly. "Including me."

His eyes widened and he nodded, impressed.

"Very nice. Defending the earth; can't argue with that."

"Yeah, but not from aliens or something. We're kind of defending the earth from its own inhabitants."

"Wouldn't a mutant team fighting ordinary humans be a bit unfair?"

We began to walk again, now toward the elevator.

"Not all mutants want to integrate with humans and live peacefully. There's another group besides the X-Men and the people who support us. They're called the Brotherhood."

"Ooo, scary."

I laughed. "I know it sounds theatrical, but you were right, they are scary. They're led by a man named Erik Lensherr, more commonly known as Magneto. He controls anything with a magnetic field, as you can guess by his name."

"What's his position?"

"He and his followers believe that mutants are superior, just as the scientific name says. So they think mutants should follow the cycle the human race took part in for thousands of years as we evolved. He thinks mutants should destroy the human race-the lesser kind-, leaving Earth completely populated by mutants. A superior society."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Everyone believes that someday there will be a war between us, normal humans and the Brotherhood. But I don't think so."

"No?"

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the main floor. We began to walk slowly down the hall, taking our time.

"It wouldn't be a war, it would be six times worse. A war fought by people who can shoot lasers from their chest or crush your mind from within it. It would be a blood bath."

We walked silently for a minute before I cleared my throat. "Enough about me; tell me about yourself, Doctor."

He smiled. "What's to tell?"

"I don't know…what's your favorite planet that you've been to, favorite food, least favorite food; I don't know. Just things about yourself…favorite color?"

"Favorite planet?"

"What, you travel in time and space apparently, so it was the first question I came up with."

"Well, my favorite food is bananas."

"Bananas? Really?"

"What? You asked!"

"Alright, alright, go on."

"My favorite food is bananas, my least favorite food is pears, my favorite color is blue, only because it's the color of the TARDIS, and my favorite planet that I've been to would have to be…" his voice trailed off as he thought. "It would have to be Earth."

"Really?" My voice raised an octave in surprise.

"The human race; nothing like it."

"Ok...But I still don't know you."

"That's more information than I tell most people, believe me."

"Why did you tell me?"

"I trust you."

"We just met."

He stopped walking and turned to look at me dead in the eyes.

"You put your trust in me, therefore I trust you."

I looked into his eyes and got of sense of absolute truth.

"So," he began to walk again, "what about you?"

I thought before answering. "Why don't you tell me?"

"What?"

"You're supposedly so clever, maybe you can figure some stuff on your own."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please! I can see you observing everything, not even missing the fruit fly that flew behind your head in the room downstairs. You didn't turn your head; you just shifted your eyes an inch to the left, showing you heard its wings buzzing."

"You saw that?"

I smiled widely. "Now, try me."

He smiled as well, visibly pleased at a challenge. "Well," he extended the word and titled his head as said it, "I can tell by your eyes that you've seen a lot more than the average fifteen year old."

He paused to look at me and I nodded, telling him to continue.

"You're dating the young blond chap…"

"Alex," I chimed in.

"Alex, right. Um…you're not afraid to speak your mind, you will protect the ones you love with your life and you don't give second chances."

I stopped walking and looked at him with astonished eyes. "Can you read minds or something?"

"Why?"

"Because that was perfect. You just described the basics of my personality as if you've known me for years."

He smiled coyly. "Oh, I'm very clever."

"And a bit arrogant too, I see."

He glanced back at me, but then turned his head around. I caught up to him and turned right down a new hallway. I looked at his face and could tell he had laughed.

"Do you believe in second chances?" I asked, filling the silence.

"That's a bit random."

"Not really, you just mentioned it when you were talking about me, and I was curious."

"No, I don't."

"Can I ask why?"

"Does there have to be a reason?"

"I don't know…I just figured that something might have happened to bring you to that point."

"I just am…always have been. What about you? How did you get to that point?"

He popped the "p" in point.

"I gave a man who didn't deserve it a chance to walk away with his life, and then he tried to shoot Alex and me in the back of the head."

"Tried?"

"I stopped the bullets."

He thought for a second. "Earth in the metal?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "What did you do?"

"I shot them back- one in the gut and one in the center of his forehead." I took a pause. "That was the moment where I got sick of being the better person and letting the bad guys walk away."

"Killing's not the only option, you know."

"It was for him."

We both went silent as we reached the end of the hall.

"How long have you and Micaela been together?" I finally asked.

He stared at me for a minute until he understood the gist of what I was asking.

"Oh, you think we're…oh no, we're not…we're just friends."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I just thought by how she looks at you…you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you telling me you haven't noticed? Out of everything, that's the one thing you miss?"

He was silent, staring at me blankly.

"Doctor, she likes you."

"What?" He held the "a" out for a long time before finishing the rest of the word. "I would know, believe me."

"Apparently not," I mumbled.

The air became thick as the Doctor became more uncomfortable and unsure of himself.

"So…where did you get that scar?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

He stared at the pink scar that ran from my elbow to halfway down my forearm.

I chuckled before answering, letting him off the hook from my personal questions. "I moved while someone was taking my blood and the needle dragged down my arm."

"You must really dislike the doctor's."

I let my head fall back in amusement. "It wasn't a doctor's office; I wish it were that simple. It's much more complicated than that."

He thought. "Was it something the man you killed did?"

"No, Logan killed this guy. This one kidnapped me and tried to use my powers to destroy the human race."

"Oh…" he paused. "Death seems to follow you around, doesn't it?"

"Sadly."

He chuffed. "Welcome to my world."


	5. Companion Piece

The Doctor and I continued to wander the mansion until Logan came jogging up behind us.

"Hey, Doc," he called in his gruff voice.

We turned around the Doctor struggled to hold back a chuckle at Logan's bouffant hair.

"That's me."

"The Professor wants to talk to you."

The Doctor nodded. "Be right there."

Logan reciprocated the nod and then headed back to where he had come from. Once he was out of sight, the Doctor turned to me.

"Sorry, but apparently I'm needed. Really, when am I not?"

I laughed. "Again with the arrogance."

"Sorry. Can't help it sometimes. Where am I supposed to be going?"

Suddenly, the Doctor's eyebrows raised and he smiled the same impressed smile he gave to me when I was showing him my powers.

"Apparently," he said, drawing out the word, "I have to go to his office. He says he'd like to talk about my past." He grimaced. "Get to more about the Daleks."

"Is that alright?" I asked, acknowledging his saddened look.

He suddenly shifted back to his chipper demeanor. "Of course; why wouldn't it be?"

I shook my head. "I don't know, but you looked a bit…perturbed."

"Ooo, perturbed, good word."

I smiled. "Thanks. Now go and see the Professor. Don't want to keep him waiting."

He returned my grin, and then walked off down the hallway, the tails of his coat waving behind him.

I watched him until he turned the corner, and my zoned-out gaze was interrupted by the loud grumbling of my stomach. Having a sudden need to nosh, I worked my way to the other side of the school to the cafeteria. It was oddly silent; I expected to hear Alex and Micaela chatting. Instead I walked in to find Micaela sitting alone at the circular wooden table, slowly working her way through a bag of potato chips.

"Hi," I greeted. "I thought Alex was coming with you."

"He did," she responded in a loud, confident voice, "but when I offered for him to sit down and chat he took off. I don't know where he went."

I sighed through my nose. "I'm sorry about that." I took a seat next to her. "Alex isn't really a fan of new people. He thinks they're always here for the wrong reasons."

"Can you say pessimist?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah, I know, but he has reason. He wasn't born that way. Or least, I don't think so."

She laughed as well, taking another chip from the bag. "Do you all live here?"

"Yeah, it's a boarding school. But, to be honest, most of these kids have nowhere else to go. Mutants aren't exactly celebrated in society yet. A lot of kids ran away from home because their parents wouldn't accept a mutant child. Some have even lied and said this was a regular boarding school just so they could get away."

"Wow," she said, shaking her head. "I can't even imagine how that feels…Why are you here?"

"I needed a safe place. My mom died when I was little because a power crazy lunatic wanted to use my powers to kill all the non-mutants. My dad was on his side, so I ran away. Professor Xavier found me and led me here."

"Wow. I'm so sorry."

I glanced down at the necklace I was wearing, a locket in the shape of a gold heart that my mom gave to me resting against my chest.

"It was a long time ago. But that's why I don't use my powers as fiercely as I could. For ten years, I thought I was the one who killed my mom: I had lost control and I thought I had accidently struck her with lightning. It wasn't until last year that I found out that she was pushed, murdered. Since then I've been…conservative with them. I only use my true power when I have no other choice."

She nodded, seemingly at a loss for what to say.

"But enough about me," I smiled. "How about you?" I thought for a second before asking a question, reminding myself that I was talking to a time traveler. "What year were you born in?"

"1978."

"Oh. Wow."

I never would have guessed. She was wearing completely modern clothes, complete with dark skinny jeans, a plain white V-neck and converse.

"Yeah, I know. I look good for thirty-four."

We both laughed.

"The Doctor and I met in 1996 on my eighteenth birthday. My party was ambushed by a group of Slitheen."

She smiled as she relived it in her mind.

"What's a Slitheen?"

"Big, green alien monsters from Raxacoricofallapatorius."

"Where?"

She looked at me and smiled. "Aliens from another planet."

I smiled back. "That I can understand."

"Yeah, believe me, when he first told me that, I had the same reaction as you. I had no idea; I thought he was making it all up. But then, once he defeated them, he took me into his TARDIS, and for some reason, at that very moment, I knew it was all real and I knew I wanted to travel with him forever. I asked him if I could join him and he said yes. He said he had just parted ways with the friend who was travelling with him before; Donna, her name was. I don't know why she stopped, but she must have been daft if she chose to leave. I've been traveling with him for eight months, and I don't ever plan to stop."

I smiled, her joy contagious. "What do your parents think you're doing?"

"Oh, they think I'm on a year-long scholarship to study abroad for university. I tell them I'm in Italy or Japan when I'm really light-years away."

"What are you going to tell them when the year's over?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Like I said, I never want to stop."

"Do you ever visit home?"

"Yeah, we've gone back a couple of times. But there's always been some sort of danger that follows us, so I think we won't be going back anytime soon."

"Danger seems to follow him around, doesn't it?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, it does."

She reached into the bag and took another chip, and then slid the bag around to face me.

"You want one?"

"Sure, thanks."  
>I smiled and took a chip for myself.<p>

"So," she said, "are you and Alex together?"

"Yeah, we are. Almost a year."

"That's sweet."

My cheeks turned pink. "Are you with anyone?"

"Me? No, not currently. But I do have my eyes set on someone."

My memory immediately flipped back to my last conversation. _Doctor, she likes you._

"Oh yeah?" I decided to play dumb. "Who is he?"

"I can't say, you'll laugh."

"No, I won't. Really."

Her eyes drifted to the table top and then back at me. She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"You can't tell anyone. Promise?"

"Promise."

She looked around, checking to make sure no one else was near.

"I might have a bit of a crush on the Doctor."

I couldn't help but smile. "That's so cute! And so is he."

She laughed. "I don't know when it started; I just looked at him one day, and he looked at me, gave me one of his smiles and I just turned to mush."

"I know how you feel. It was the same way with Alex and me."

She smiled. "I try to keep it secret, you know, not let him know how I feel. I don't want him to stop travelling with me because I like him."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's the Doctor! He's not one for romantic relationships, just friendships." She paused. "Oh, do you think he noticed?"

"No! You're very good at keeping it subtle."

I swallowed back the gnawing hysteria that wanted to follow my fib.

"Ok, good. Because, I really am ok with him not fancying me. As long as I'm with him, I don't care. We can be platonic friends until the day I die, and I would be happy because I would've spent my entire life with him."

"Only someone really in love would say that."

She began to blush, and she pulled her hair behind her ear. "You think so?"

"Trust me," I glanced down at a bracelet that Alex gave me for our six month anniversary, "you're not alone."


	6. A Bit of Perusing

Micaela and I sat at the table for the next three hours, slowly getting to know each other.

"Are you serious?" My laughter echoed through the kitchen, followed by a bout of hers.

"Yeah, he actually speaks baby!"

"So what happened?"

"The baby," she paused, laughing at her impending anecdote, "was controlling the parents! By babbling!"

"No way! That's incredible!"

"I know! Obviously, the baby wasn't human, but now every time I hear a baby babbling I freak out a bit on the inside."

I laughed again. "I don't blame you."

"Hey, guys!"

Alex suddenly ran into the kitchen, huffing and puffing as if he sprinted through the entire mansion.

"Alex, what's going on?"

"I have this idea that I want to run by you."

"What about?"

"I think we can get these Daleks the hell out of here quicker than the Doctor expects."

"I don't understand," interjected Micaela.

"We go in there tonight."

Smiling with excitement, Alex took a seat across from Micaela.

"Excuse me, what?" I let out a shocked laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"

"We go in there tonight, do some scouting and we could there tomorrow and kick the crap out of them!"

"Alex, we don't know anything about these things! The Doctor seems to know a lot, so if he says wait, we wait."

"I'm not saying we go in there and attack. I'm saying we go into the air ducts or something and spy."

"You want to spy on deadly aliens?"

"Yeah."

"Why on God's green Earth would you want to do that?"

"Because with those supply lists," he sneered, "all the Doctor is doing is guessing about what these things might be doing. If we go in there and sneak a peek, we'll know exactly what's going on."

"I'm sorry, Alex, but you don't understand what you're setting yourself up for," said Micaela, pressing her hands against the table. "Daleks may not look so intimidating, but when the Doctor said that they will destroy everything and anything that is not Dalek, he wasn't exaggerating. If you get caught, they won't hold you captive or let you run off if you swear to never to tell anybody. They will kill you; they won't even think about it."

"But I'm not just some human. I can defend myself."

Alex's eyes glanced down at his chest.

"That's all well and wonderful, but if there's five of them and only one of you, you don't stand a chance."

"Well, I'm not a baby and I like taking chances. So come on Rebecca, let's go."

Alex stood and held his hand out to me.

"What?"

"Come on, let's go plan our way in."

"Alex, I'm sorry, but I'm not with you on this."

His hand fell and he looked at me like a rejected puppy.

"What do you mean you're not with me?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Alex, I know you mean well, but this is stupid."

His brow furrowed and his fists clenched.

"You know what, I'll just go myself. Fine."

"No, you won't."

I stood quickly and grabbed ahold of his hand.

"You promise me- no, swear to me- that you will _not_ go anywhere near that school until we all, as a group, decide we can go in there as safely as we can. I'm not letting you do this."

He stared at me with piercing eyes, attempting to see if he could break my stance. He sighed as he realized he couldn't.

"Fine." He pulled his hand out from mine. "Fine."

X.X.X

I didn't see Alex for the rest of the night, even when I went to bed; I figured he was mad at me so I didn't think anything of it.

I fell asleep quickly, my mind tired from the day. But, my slumber was disrupted by a sudden shove of my shoulder.

"Rebecca," the voice whispered harshly, panic laced through it.

He pushed me again until I let out an aggravated groan.

"Alex, what do you want?" My voice was raspy and deep, affected by midnight phlegm. I opened one eye and checked the clock. "It's four o'clock in the morning." My groan turned into a whine and shut my eye.

"You need to get up. Now."

I finally opened both my eyes as I realized how scared he really sounded. I sat up and turned my lamp on, getting a look on his face.

His eyes were frantic and scared, never focusing on one particular thing. His face was pale and his brow was lined with sweat.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"She's gone."

"She who?"

"Micaela."

"Micaela? Where would she go?"

"Ok, gone's the wrong word. More like…" he swallowed hard, "kidnapped."

"What?"

Alex pulled both his hands over the top of his head, flattening his hair.

"Alex, tell me what happened."

"I didn't listen to you; I lied. I waited until you were all asleep and snuck out."

My eyes widened. "You didn't."

"I swear, I was just going to scout out the place. But, I guess Micaela was awake after all and saw me heading toward the school." He swallowed again. "She tried to stop me."

"And let me guess, you wouldn't let her. She began to follow you, she figured she wouldn't turn back because you were already there, the plan failed and the Daleks took her."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"In a nutshell, yeah."

"You didn't try to help her?"

"I did! Really, I did! But they cut off the hole she fell through in the air vent. The only way I could have gotten to her was if I blew a hole in the air vent directly above the gas line. I would've blown up the whole place."

I pressed my palm against my forehead, trying to suppress the urge to scream.

"We have to tell the Doctor," I managed to say calmly.

"No way. He'll kill me."

"Alex, you keeping secrets is what caused this to happen. So, if you don't say something, I will. We can't handle this alone."

He stared at me, stunned. But over the minute that I stared back, showing I wasn't changing my mind and I wasn't letting him walk away, his shocked, slightly hurt expression slowly neutralized until he was looking at me straight-faced.

"Can you come with me? To tell him?"

"May I ask why?"

His eyes averted me and looked at the floor.

"He's terrifying when he's mad."

I let the beginning of a chuckle escape, but swallowed it down quickly.

"Sure. I'll even hold your hand if you want."

He stuck his tongue out at me.

"Shut up."

We left the room and as we came to the Doctor's door, Alex took my hand. I knocked my knuckles against the wooden door of one of our many guest rooms, and waited for a response. From inside, I heard the squawk of the bed and the thumps of his feet got louder as he came to the door.

"Hello!"

The Doctor sung the door open and greeted us with a wide smile.

"Hi," I smiled back, his energy contagious.

I looked into the room and noticed all of the lights were on and his bed was covered in least thirty books borrowed from the Professor's library.

"Having trouble sleeping?" I inquired.

"Oh, why sleep when all these books are here? If I could live in a library I would." He paused, a stray memory coming to him. "Well, maybe not."

I chuckled and Alex squeezed my hand along with giving me the stink eye.

"Um, can we come in? Alex has something…urgent to tell you."

The Doctor's happy, excited demeanor faded into one of concern and apprehension.

"Sure."

He stepped inside and let us into his room, closing the door behind us.

"What's wrong?"

I squeezed Alex's hand.

"Alex," I urged him on, "tell him. He's here to help."

The Doctor smiled warmly, showing Alex he would listen. Alex glanced at me once more, took a deep breath, tensed his shoulders and squeezed my hand back.

"Ok…"


	7. We're Not Just Giving Them the Doctor

"You what?"

The Doctor's raging screams travelled through the whole east wing of the school, causing the sleeping kids to stir.

"I can't…she's with…I specifically said to wait! When I said they would hurt you, I wasn't joking!"

His anger affected his speech, causing him to stutter with panic.

"I know and I'm sorry!" pleaded Alex. "I was going alone, but she followed me; she tried to stop me."

"Do you think that makes it any better? You shouldn't have gone at all!"

"Ok, ok, Doctor, I know you're mad, but you two yelling at each other is not going to save her."

I held both my hands in the air, trying to calm him down.

"No, I'm not mad," the Doctor turned his back, grabbed at his hair, pulling a few strands out, and then faced us again. "I'm furious. Micaela could be dead right now that is on you."

He spit in Alex's face.

"Well, let's find out."

The Doctor looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language.

"Professor Xavier is a telepath, remember? He could find her and talk to her, making sure she's ok."

The Doctor continued to stare at me, his chest heaving.

"Did you know he was going?"

"No."

He eyed me one last time, silent, trying to calm his mind.

"Fine. Let's go."

The Doctor pushed the door out of his way and stormed toward the Professor's room.

"Dude, it's four o'clock in the morning; he may not be awake," warned Alex nervously.

"_It's alright_," a calm voice came through my mind. "_You caught me right as I was about to go for a midnight snack_."

I sent him an image of my cocking my eyebrow.

"He's up," I said out loud.

"_We woke you up, didn't we_?"

There was a pause followed by a mental sigh. "_Yes_."

I laughed softly as we came to his room. Without a knock, the Doctor barged into the room, his anger blazing, teeth bared.

"You need to tell me if she's alright," he growled.

Professor Xavier, sitting in his wheelchair in his plain, navy blue pajamas and black bath robe, smiled toward us.

"I don't know. Not yet."

Moving his chair into the Doctor's legs, he pushed him aside and moved to the door.

"What do you mean you don't know? You're a telepath! Talk to her!"

"She's too far away at the moment. But, if you give me a second, that won't matter."

The Doctor's brow furrowed, yet he began to walk after the Professor, and we followed behind him.

"What do you mean? Professor, tell me!"

"Micaela was right, you are difficult when you're emotional," he chuckled.

"You found her?"

"No, I spoke to her earlier."

The elevator dinged as we came to the basement, and the Professor took a left down the vast hallway. We reached my favorite pair of large, circular metal doors and the Professor lined himself up with the small circle at the center. Then, a bright, turquoise light came out of the circle and highlighted the Professor's eye.

"Welcome, Professor." The robotic, female voice echoed down the hallway as the doors slid open and revealed a vast room, nothing but a skinny walkway occupying it. The walls were constructed from large metal plates, strategically placed around the room. Professor Xavier stopped at the end of the walkway where there was a silver desk.

"What is this?" asked the Doctor, craning his neck to get a full view of the room.

"This is Cerebro," answered the Professor, proudly. "It allows my powers to reach out to a far greater distance than I can get to alone."

"Like a satellite?"

"Yes," he put the sleek helmet on, three silver cords sticking off of it, "just like a satellite."

"And you built this?"

"With the help of some colleagues."

"Brilliant."

Professor Xavier smiled before closing his eyes and the metal panels on the rounded walls became screens as a silver projection of New York appeared in front of them. Quickly, the image zoomed into a large science laboratory in the Dalek's base. Sitting handcuffed to a large water heater was Micaela, guarded by two Daleks.

Suddenly, her head picked up, but she quickly calmed herself as the Professor explained what was happening.

"She's alright," he informed us. "She's been listening in on them about their plans; good girl."

"What did they say?" The Doctor stepped forward and pressed his hand on the desk. The Professor eyed him, but continued to focus on Micaela.

"She says that the Doctor was right about them having hostages building something. She says it looks like a gun, but the barrel is facing upwards."

Alex and I looked at each other in wonder.

"They're planning to utilize her as a hostage," continued Professor Xavier. "They're going to contact us and offer a preposition- if we give them the Doctor, they'll give her back unharmed."

"Then let's go!" shouted Alex.

"No way!" I argued.

"What? He can handle himself."

"If we go now, they'll know we have an inside connection and then the one advantage we have is gone. Besides, we're not just giving them the Doctor."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Doctor glance over at me, a hint of a smile on his face.

"She asked me to tell you, Doctor, to not worry and do what you do best," said the Professor before taking the helmet off and placing it back on its pedestal.

The projection faded away and he turned to face us.

"I don't know what that is, but I'm sure we'll find out," he chuckled. "But I do agree with Rebecca. We need as many advantages as we can get."

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair and took a long, deep breath.

"Fine. But I can assure you, they won't spare her."

"What do you mean?" I stepped forward.

"Even if I go, they want to destroy the human race, and- oh, guess what- she's a human."

"Then we get her out of there." I remained calm, holding my ground. "We're a school of mutants, remember? We have a girl who can walk through walls."

"You mean Kitty?" Alex stared at me.

"Yes, Kitty. She walks through the wall, grabs Micaela and we're clear."

"But she was handcuffed. Kitty can't snap metal."

"I can."

The Doctor looked at me and smiled.

"Earth in the metal."

I smiled back at him. "Exactly. Plus, I can break it without a sound; I can turn it into dust. They won't even know we're there."

"I can keep you all connected telepathically," added the Professor.

The Doctor's smile widened. "Brilliant."

"I'd have to be there, though. I need to be able to feel what I'm breaking."

"I saw the room she was in; I can pinpoint it on the blueprints. You can further your plan that way."

"I forgot how much I love being around geniuses," marveled the Doctor.

I smiled widely and glanced over at the Professor who was smiling as well.

"Come on, the blue prints are in the conference room."

We moved quickly to the conference room and rolled out the long sheet of paper that was the blue print.

"They're using the biggest science lab in the building," explained Professor Xavier, "which is located on the first floor directly in the center."

His finger pointed to a large square in the center of the blue print.

"So, Alex and I can stay back in this hallway," I said, pointing to the hallway leading to the lab. "We squat near the door as back up, while Kitty sneaks around here," my finger traced down the hallway and around the corner until it was next to the circle that represented the water heater, a thin white line separating the two, "the Professor gives me the cue, I break the cuffs, Kitty goes through the wall, grabs her, comes back into the hallway, the Doctor does whatever it is he does and then we get the hell out of there."

"How do you get in without them knowing?" asked the Professor.

We all sat in silence before Alex spoke.

"The Doctor goes in first. Alone. Then, once the Daleks are distracted by their "greatest enemy", we sneak in. Rebecca and I go in through the front and Kitty goes through the back door at the end of the hallway so she's closer to Micaela."

"That could work," I agreed.

"Fantastic, let's go."

The Doctor began to head for the door.

"Whoa, hold on a sec."

He stopped and turned to me.

"We have to wait for the phone call, remember?"

His face fell and his shoulders slumped.

"As soon as we get it, we can go; maybe that could actually help us- make them think you're acting on emotion."

He walked over to a chair and fell into it, slumping.

"But I hate waiting; it's so boring."

"But sometimes all you can do is wait."

The Doctor looked up at me as I took a seat on the table in front of him.

"Not when there's something to be done."

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

"It sucks, I know. But, sometimes, if you act too early, it's worse than waiting. Believe me, when I was kidnapped, all I wanted to do was blow the damn boat up and get out. But until the X-Men were ready and Shaw became less suspicious of me, I couldn't do anything. I had to wait."

"So…"

"So, I waited and everything turned out for the better."

His eyes glanced down at the long scar on my arm.

"Well, eventually."

He let out a snort. "Yeah. I'll admit, you've got a point."

"Besides," added Alex, "we have to tell Kitty. She doesn't even know yet."

"Yes, she does."

We all turned to look at the Professor.

"She got up early this morning," he explained. "I told her what happened and she agreed to help. She's coming down now."

"Great, so that means we just have to wait for the phone call."

I looked back at the Doctor and he grinned at me smugly.

"Let the waiting begin."


	8. Good Luck

Once Kitty came downstairs and was introduced to the situation, we sat around the table, waiting. Occasionally, Alex, Kitty and I would say a few things, but the Professor and the Doctor remained eerily quiet until an hour and fifteen minutes passed, and the phone began to ring just as the clock hit 6:45 in the morning.

The ringing echoed through the room and we all jumped in our chairs, our eyes locked on the phone sitting in the middle of the table.

"Remember," said the Professor, "we don't know anything; we don't even know that this is them calling."

We all nodded once before he reached forward and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," he answered calmly.

"We have the girl."

A shrill, robotic- yet slightly melodic- voice boomed through the speaker.

"Tell me she's not hurt!" ordered the Doctor. "Unless you want the Oncoming Storm at your door, I suggest you tell me what I want to hear."

I glanced over at the Doctor and he had stood from his chair, his palms pressing flat against the table and his hard, cold glare fixed on the phone. His chest raised and lowered with speed as he tried to contain his anger. There was a pause before the Daleks gave a response.

"The companion is unharmed."

"Let me speak to her."

"We will not."

"Why not?"

"We do not follow your orders."

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"So why are you calling, huh? This isn't like you- hiding. Did those fantastic kids scare you earlier?"

"You give yourself and the girl will be returned unharmed," they responded, ignoring his jeers.

"Where? When?"

"Fifteen miles west of your location. Now."

"Fine."

Instead of a response, the line went dead, the continuous, harsh dial tone booming through the room. Alex reached over and shut the speakerphone off, ending the phone call.

I let out a loud breath. "Alright guys," I clapped my hands together. "Let's go."

We quickly changed out of our pajamas and into our X-Men suits, and Kitty, Alex, the Doctor and I loaded into one of the Professor's industrial vans, and headed for the school.

My skin tight leather pants squeaked as I shifted in my seat, and I unzipped my black leather top to my clavicle, giving myself some air. Alex sat next to me, his fingers gently stroking my bare forearm which was free from my half-arm sleeves.

Aside from his having no sleeves and mine being slightly more body hugging, Alex's uniform was identical to mine- black leather with a large "x" formed from the stitches on the front of the shirt.

Kitty sat silently behind us, twiddling her thumbs nervously, staring out the window blankly.

"You ok, Kitty?"

She jumped out of her daze and looked at me.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I've done this before."

She motioned to her leather attire, smiling smugly.

I smiled as well and turned back around in my seat just as the van came to a stop in a grassy field. We all piled out and began to stretch our legs out.

"We're about a mile away from the school," said the Doctor as he hopped out of the driver's seat. "You lot stay here until the Professor gives you the signal."

"_I'm here_," spoke the Professor telepathically to us all. "_You're all linked_."

"_Can we read each other's memories_?" wondered Alex.

"_No, the connection is only strong enough so you can converse_."

The Doctor sighed heavily; from what I could tell it was out of relief.

"_Doctor, the front door has a passcode lock. Are you any good at figuring out numbers_?"

"_I am actually, but I have this_."

The Doctor reached into the inner pocket of his brown, pinstriped suit jacket and pulled out a small, futuristic device.

"What's that?" I asked aloud.

"It's a sonic screwdriver," explained the Doctor. He flipped it around, the rounded, blue tip now facing me. The bottom looked like black plastic and the body of the screwdriver was an off white, the alien plastic cracked with age.

"But the head's round,"" I tried to comprehend.

"That's because it's sonic. It unlocks anything and everything…except wood."

"Why wood?"

"No setting for that."

"Your screwdriver has settings?"

"Because it's sonic."

I stepped closer, taking a better look.

"That's really cool."

The Doctor smiled.

"I told you I liked you, right?"

"On several occasions, yes."

We both chuckled.  
>"Glad I was clear on that."<p>

We smiled at each other again, and Alex moved closer to my side as if he was defending me.

"_Doctor, let's not waste any time_," the Professor came through as a voice of reason.

"Right. Ok, time to go. Remember, wait for the signal."

"Doctor, we've got this," I reassured.

He smiled and turned his back to go.

"Doctor?"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Good luck."

He smiled again. "You too."

Then, he turned toward the school again and began to jog to Micaela's rescue.


	9. The Plan is In Motion

The three of us stood against the van, not saying much. Two minutes after the Doctor left, his voice came through our minds.

"_I'm through_," he whispered mentally. "_I'm just coming to the doors of the lab_."

"Ok, guys, that's our cue." I said out loud.

We raised our shoulders simultaneously from their resting positions on the van, and we jogged the mile to the school.

"Alright, from now on we should communicate telepathically; we have to be completely silent."

Kitty and I nodded in agreement at Alex's idea as we came to the front door of the building.

"So, I guess this is my time to go to the back door," said Kitty.

"Yeah, signal us when you're in position." Alex pointed to his temple.

"Will do."

After giving us a small, encouraging smile, Kitty turned her back and rounded the corner, out of sight. Then, Alex looked at me.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"_Doctor, are the hallways clear_?" I inquired.

"_Should be; all the Daleks are with me_."

I nodded. "Let's go."

I turned toward the door, but Alex grabbed my hand and flipped me back around to face him, landing a soft kiss on my lips.

"I love you," he said.

I smiled. "I love you too. Now, let's go kick some ass."

He chuckled and I turned back to the door, noticing the door had relocked once it closed after the Doctor. I raised my hand and took control of the earth in the dense metal lock, and slid it into its slot in the door, allowing me to open the door with ease.

I pulled the door open and Alex took the first steps inside, carefully walking so he didn't make a sound. I followed behind him and we walked through the dark hallway, the ground in front of us barely visible. The only sounds were the slight pitter-pats of our feet and down the hall I could hear the Doctor talking, followed by a robotic rebuttal.

Several feet down the hall, the dust-covered linoleum floor began to shine as we neared the lab, all of its lights on at full power.

"_There are no other hostages besides Micaela_," informed the Doctor. "_Whatever they were building must have been completed_."

"_Ok_," I responded. "_We're coming down the hall_."

"_Shit_!"

I stopped dead in my tracks at Alex's shouted explicative, and looked in the direction he was. We were now a foot away from the lab and we could easily see the Doctor standing with his back to us and the Daleks facing him.

"_Get in here_."

I turned my attention away from the battlefield and followed Alex into the open teacher's break room we happened to be standing in front of.

"_They're facing us, how are we going to get next to the doors_?"

I slyly peeked my head out of the office and looked into the lab, the open doors pushed inward. Instead of being crowded by rows of work tables, the room was a giant open space, except for the few tables that remained against the walls, covered by various types of scientific equipment. I looked closely at the three Daleks who were standing in a semi-circle around the Doctor, taking notice of their extreme concentration on him, and pulled myself back in the office.

"_I think we'll be fine_," I said. "_They're so focused on the Doctor, I don't think they'll notice. Besides, that eye stalk shouldn't give them any peripheral vision_."

Alex looked out as well, confirming what I had determined.

"_Alright, I'll go across the hall first_," he planned. "_Then we get to our spots_."

I nodded.

"_I'm in place_," informed Kitty.

"_Give us a second and we'll be too_."

With that, Alex moved to the doorway and, after looking toward the lab once more, took two large steps across the hall and crouched beside the wall.

Following his lead, I stepped out of the office as well, staying on the right side. Once we reached the end of the wall, we looked at each other and nodded.

"_One_…" I began.

"_Two_…" he counted.

"_Three_."

As we both said the last number, we simultaneously moved across the intersecting hall and reached the wall of the lab, crouching right next to the doors. Just above my head, I noticed a scanner- one I assumed scanned ID's for access into the room. I looked into the lab and could easily see Micaela- her hands still handcuffed and her eyes glued to the Doctor, probably wondering why he hadn't saved her yet.

"_We're good_," I confirmed. "_I see Micaela; she seems fine. But does she know what's going to happen? We don't need to her screaming when Kitty comes through the wall_."

"_I let her know what was going to happen_," answered the Professor. "_I asked her to act scared_."

My brow raised. "_Impressive_."

"_Whenever you're ready, Rebecca_," said the Doctor.

"_Kitty, you ready_?"

"_Yup_."

I shifted my feet, adjusting my stance, and raised my hands. With my eyes focused on the handcuffs, it took me no time at all to take control of the metal. I fisted my hands and Micaela flinched as the cuffs tightened before they disintegrated into dust, falling to the floor silently.

"_Go_."

Then, Kitty came through the wall and took hold of Micaela's waist. Walking backwards, she disappeared again back into the hallway.

"_We're good_."

I looked over at Alex and couldn't help but smile.

"Enough!"

Turning my attention back to the lab, the Daleks had moved from their semi-circle to a triangle formation, and the Dalek in the center, suddenly aggravated by the Doctor's continuous stalling, shouted.

"The longer you delay the transaction, the shorter our patience grows."

The Doctor pushed his hands into his pockets.

"That is absurdly cryptic."

"If you don't surrender, the hostage will face the consequences."

"Well," the Doctor drew out the word, his voice raising an octave, "I don't see a hostage."

In unison, the three Daleks turned around and saw the pile of dust where Micaela was sitting.

"What is the meaning of this?" said the head Dalek, turning back around.

"Time Lord trickery!" The Dalek on the left joined in, his voice about three octaves higher than its leader.

"No trickery, just very clever planning," smiled the Doctor.

"The Time Lord cannot be trusted! Exterminate!"


	10. Water Based

I clenched my fist and instead of the loud boom of a laser blast, the lab was eerily quiet.

"What is this?" The center Dalek spoke first, an air of confusion in his voice. "Mobility is nonfunctioning."

Standing from my crouched position, I walked into the room with my tensed right hand in front of me.

"You know what's great about my powers?"

The Doctor turned around and grinned widely as our eyes met.

"_Rebecca, what are you doing_?" asked Alex in my head.

"I can feel everything."

From behind me, I heard Alex coming in as cover.

"I can tell you how much air is in the building, and I can feel this whole school- this whole planet- moving underneath us. I can also sense water, so by just sitting there by the door, I found out that your blood is water based."

The Doctor's eyes sparkled as he listened to my explanation.

"That. is. brilliant!"

I smiled at him quickly, but immediately returned to the task at hand.

"If you don't shoot the Doctor, I'll let you go. But if you say ok and go back on your word, I'll stop the shot and Alex will blow you all to smithereens. Got that?"

I stood next to the Doctor and Alex next to me. There was a long pause before the head Dalek spoke.

"We agree."

I glanced over at the Doctor and he nodded, encouraging me to believe them. I released the muscles in my hand and the metal shells shook as the Daleks regained control of their own bodies.


	11. Clarity and Purpose

"What are these humans?"

The Dalek's voice echoed down the hallways as me and the girl who told me her name was Kitty worked our way toward the doors of the lab.

"Alright," said Kitty as we crouched by the door, "I have to go in and help, but you have to stay here; the Doctor wants you safe."

"I'm not going to just sit here while you lot go and save the day!"

I whispered harshly, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Micaela, you are the only one who can't protect yourself."

"You walk through walls!"

"So I have a quick escape route, and, if I hug anyone else, things can pass through them too."

"It doesn't matter; I'm not going to leave the Doctor! I'm his best friend."

"So think of that friendship and how much you're looking forward to enjoying it for another day."

I sighed, uncrossing my arms.

"Fine."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Then, she turned her back and entered the lab. I sat silently for about a minute before getting up and walking into the lab, smirking internally.

The Daleks had retreated into the far right corner while the Doctor, Rebecca, Alex and Kitty advanced. The group's back was to me, and I was halfway in between them and the door when a subtle hum wisped past my ear. I stopped mid step and tilted my head toward the door, trying to lock in what the sound actually was. As it moved closer, the slight, mechanical whirring became clearer: it was the sound of something moving on wheels.

I took a step to my right, gently placing my foot on the ground so I made no noise. Then the mysterious advancer on wheels came out of the shadows of the hallway and revealed itself in the operating room style lighting as another Dalek.

I felt every muscle in body tense up as it took its position by the doorway, turning its body to face the group; it seemed completely unaware of me, its mind set on a task.

Then, its gun rose from its idle position and took aim. My eyes darted over to the group and the Dalek's gun was aiming straight at the Doctor's back, him completely unaware of what was behind him. As my eyes fell back on the Dalek, a green laser beam blasted from its artillery.

Just like that, my muscles relaxed, my breathing had calmed to an even rhythm and I planted my feet, pushing off the ground, and began to sprint. I watched with a complete sense of clarity and purpose as the laser quickly became the only object in my sightline, and I felt almost no pain as the hot, deadly beam struck my abdomen. My legs gave out and as I fell toward the black tile, I let out a strangled, mournful scream.


	12. It'll Be Ok

A dark, terrified scream rang through all of our ears, and we turned around to see a new Dalek standing behind us and Micaela falling to her knees, the bottom right of her shirt singed and smoking. Before I could even register what was going on, the Doctor had run from his place between Kitty and I and slid across the floor, on his knees, catching Micaela's head just before it hit the ground.

His face had lost all color and his eyes darted back and forth from her unreasonably calm expression to the hole in her shirt before finally looking at her straight in the eye.

"What did you do?" His voice cracked, even though it was barely at a whisper.

She smiled a small, weak smile.

"You'll do anything for the people you love," she managed to say, followed by a breathy laugh. "Even step in front a laser."

The Doctor's eyes grew wide, but his face remained baron of any emotion, just broken.

"Just…as a dying girl's wish," she struggled to speak, "kiss me."

The Doctor took a sharp breath in.

"I'm so sorry this happened," he said, trying with all of his might not to cry.

"It's ok."

The Doctor grinned as warmly as he could and leaned down, landing a soft kiss on Micaela's barely warm lips. Then, as he pulled away, her eyes slowly closed and any tenseness in her limbs slipped away, her entire body going limp in the Doctor's arms.

The Doctor stared at her while everyone else- even the Daleks- stared at him, completely in shock (or in the Dalek's case, fear). He slowly laid her head down on the floor and stood up, his back to us.

"_Forget what I said_," he growled telepathically.

"_What do you mean_?" I asked.

"_About giving them a second chance. They don't deserve it_."

His hands were balled into tight fists, his knuckles bright white.

"_Doctor…_"

"_Kill them. All of them_. _Now_."

He turned me and gave me a glare so angered and so devastating that I found myself unconsciously taking a step back. Then, he turned his back and ran out of the lab.

"_I'll follow him_." Kitty looked at us both before running after him.

Now alone, Alex and I stared at each other, the Daleks still eerily silent.

"_We have to grab Micaela_."

"_What_?"

"_We're not just leaving her_!"

With that, I lifted Micaela off the ground with a wave of air and she glided easily into Alex's arms.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The Daleks, I assumed now confident because the Doctor was far out of sight, tried to bring the situation into their control. Ignoring them, Alex and I sprinted to the doorway.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The three Daleks began to shoot while the fourth by the door, for some reason, remained calm. I threw my hand out behind me, creating an air shield which easily deflected the Dalek's attacks.

Just as I reached the door, the fourth Dalek moved forward. I twisted my body so I wouldn't collide with it, but I felt its suction cup graze my side as I sprinted past.

"Alex, go. I'll take care of it; just get out of here."

Although his eyes portrayed his apprehension of leaving me alone, he nodded and ran for the door. I turned back to the lab and easily spotted the gas line, red tape bordering its entrance into the wall. At the last moment, I dropped the air shield and flicked my hand forward, my palm facing up, fingers straight as an arrow. A thin, precise line of fire flew through the room, and I pivoted on my foot, beginning to sprint as fast as I could.

The room exploded and I twirled my hands behind me, bending the flames so they didn't consume me whole. Once I finally reached outside and hit the grass lawn, I let my hands fall and the flames erupted in full force. I continued to sprint, not slowing my pace until I finally reached the meadow area where the van waited.

I trotted to the apex of the round hill and finally stopped, my hands dropping to my knees as I tried to catch my breath. Once I felt like my lungs were functioning again, I finally raised my head. Alex and Kitty were standing off to the side, both of their eyes locked on the Doctor who sat in the center of the grassy field, on his knees, shaking. Next to them was Micaela, her body lying in the soft grass.

Alex and Kitty looked at me at once, both of their eyes sending one coherent message: do something. I took a long deep breath and walked toward the Doctor. Once next to him, I lowered myself to my knees and turned to face him. I whispered softly so he was the only one who heard me.

"It'll be ok."

He turned his head toward me, his face wet with tears. Without saying a word, the Doctor leaned forward and embraced me in a tight hug.


	13. Wish I Could Go Back In Time

**So sorry for such the long wait, but since school ends tomorrow, look forward to some chapters heading your way! Thanks for reading and please review! **

The day after, the Doctor finally emerged from his TARDIS, which he had locked himself in from the moment we had gotten back to the school grounds, and told us that- if we would- he would like to have a funeral for Micaela at the school. The Professor warmly agreed.

The funeral was being held in the expansive lawn of the mansion two days after her death. Her casket rested on an extravagant stand, and flanking it were two pictures of her: the one on the left was a profile shot of her, smiling toward the camera gleefully. The one on the right was a picture of her and the Doctor, seemingly in present day London.

Only a few people volunteered to go the ceremony because only a few people met her while she was there. However, Professor Xavier made it a requirement that everyone come and pay their respects because even though they didn't know her, she had saved all of their lives.

Toward the end of the ceremony, the priest asked the audience if anyone would like to say a few words in her honor. Alex, Kitty, the Professor and I all went up and said generally the same thing: that even though we had only just met her, she had made a forever lasting impact on us all; that she would be very much missed and forever remembered.

I sat back down on one of the black folding chairs after I had said my speech, and the priest returned to the podium.

"Doctor," he said softly, "you were Micaela's closest friend. Do you have any words?"

The Doctor sat next to me in his brown pinstriped suit, his legs spread apart, his forearms resting on them, his hands crossed and his head bent toward the ground. He didn't lift his eyes when the priest spoke; he didn't move at all.

"Doctor," I whispered, nudging his arm softly, "maybe you should go up."

His head raised slowly, his eyes void of any emotion, his face longer than I had ever seen it. The bags under his large, brown eyes were pronounced, and I could tell that he was using all the energy in his Time Lord being to keep himself together.

"There are no words," he said, his voice cracking from not being used within the last day and a half. "There are no words for what Micaela was, for what she did. All I can say is that she was one of my best friends...and I wish that I could go back in time and stop her from saving me."

There was a long silence as the Doctor's words hung in the air until the priest finally cleared his throat and concluded the ceremony.

Once the service was over and her casket was lowered into the ground, the people dispersed- some back to the buffet table, some inside and others gathered in little circles, talking softly.

The Doctor, though, stayed in his chair, his head bent toward the grass once again. I sat with him, having the inkling that it probably wasn't the best idea to leave him to his own devices for the time being.

"What am I supposed to do?" he mumbled.

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or if he was just speaking his thoughts, but I decided to answer anyway.

"What are you supposed to do about what?"

"How am I supposed to go back to her parents and tell them that their daughter died in the year 2011 because she was shot by an alien?"

"Um...maybe you don't?"

He looked at me as if I was mad.

"No, I didn't mean don't tell them that she died. I mean you don't have to tell them that that's how she died. You're clever, right? You can think of something more...normal."

He nodded, and his eyes turned back the ground, laughing lightly with amusement.

"Right. If I was so clever I would have found a way to stop her from dying all together."

"Doctor, there's nothing you could have done! You didn't even know that she was in the room- and you know what? Neither did Kitty or Alex or me. We all were oblivious, so you don't get to say it's just your fault. Everyone gets a piece of the guilt."

My stomach churned as I said this because I absolutely believed it. At least one of us should have heard her, especially me. I am the one who can sense air movement. There was a long pause before I spoke again.

"You said you wished you could go back in time and stop her," I said, leaning forward so my head was at level with his.

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, you told me that the police box, your TAR..."

"TARDIS," he helped.

"Right, thanks. You said your TARDIS could travel in time. So, if that's really what you want, why don't you go?"

He scoffed and raised his eyes to look at me.

"It's not that easy. I can't travel back in my own timeline. It's against the rules."

"What happens if you do?"

"The universe implodes."

"Oh...yeah, don't do that."

He chuckled, and I smiled, glad that he wasn't completely broken.

"I also noticed you're not wearing black."

His brown suit was accented by light blue pinstripes and he finished the look with a brown tie with blue lines twirling around it, intertwining with each other, and a pair of off white converse.

"She wouldn't want me to wear black; she wouldn't want me to be unhappy. She'd want me to move forward because she knows that's what I always do."

"You make it sound like you've gone through this before...losing close friends."

His eyes glanced at the ground again before turning back to me.

"Death seems to follow me around, remember?"

I nodded, swallowing back the need to hug this man who obviously did not want to be hugged.

We sat in silence for a few good minutes, not having the need for words, just each other's support. Finally, though, I spoke again.

"Ok, I have a really mundane question; one that probably doesn't even matter."

He smiled softly. "Good. I could do with some mundane."

I smiled back. "When I was sitting by the door of the lab, I happened to look above my head and there was a scanner- an ID scanner. I'm assuming you needed a school ID to get into the room, so I was wondering: how did you get in?"

His smile grew in size.

"You don't miss a thing, do you?"

"Try not to."

Still smiling, he reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a leather wallet, creases lining the spine from it being opened and closed so many times. He flipped it open and revealed a blank piece of paper.

"A piece of paper?"

"Just wait."

I continued to look at it and, suddenly, words appeared as if someone was writing them down.

"The wonderful invention that is psychic paper," it read.

"Psychic paper?"

"Gets you in anywhere you want by showing the person whatever they want to see."

I furrowed my brow.

"For example," he sat back in his chair, tipping it on its back legs as his weight hit the back rest, "I met Queen Victoria a few years ago, and I told her I had credentials so I wouldn't, you know, be thrown into 1879 prison."

I let out a small laugh. "So what did it say?"

"It said I had been appointed her protector."

I nodded my head up and down, impressed.

"Nice."

"So in the school, I just swiped this baby across it and it let me in. When I looked at what it said, it said I was the dean of the school."

I smiled. "Very nice."

There was another long pause, the Doctor grinning at his psychic paper.

"You know, I think Micaela would be very proud of you."

He turned his head to look at me. "Yeah?"

"I would be."


	14. What's Happening?

That night- hours after Micaela's casket was lowered into the ground- the sun had set, dinner had been served and now only a few of the older students remained awake.

Feeling the need for a pre-midnight snack, I went to the kitchen and began to search the shelves of the fridge. Then, a cramp seized my lower right side and my hand shot over, gripping the fabric of my shirt.

"Wow," I muttered, bending over myself. "What did I eat?"

I held myself for a moment, seeing if the pain would subside. Once it faded, I stood back up slowly only to double over once more as a pain twice as bad attacked me, slamming my back into the fridge.

I yelled in pain and it must have travelled through the whole mansion because the Doctor came sprinting into the kitchen.

"What happened?" he asked in concern.

His large eyes scanned the kitchen quickly before fixing on me. He ran over and stood next to me, looking for a reason for my yells.

"Did you do something that could cause this? Eat something? Touch something?"

He shot his questions out at a rapid pace as theories formed in his head faster than he could speak.

"What could cause this?"

I raised my shirt and revealed a large green bruise over my side.

"Have any ideas?"

The Doctor's eyes shifted from left to right as he thought; his left hand was fisted while his right

ran through his hair. Then, he reached into his inner jacket pocket and took out the sonic screwdriver. He pointed the blue tip toward me and it emitted a high-pitched buzzing noise, as well as a bright blue light, as he pressed the button. He scanned over my body and then looked at the results, his eyes widening.

"Rebecca, did you touch a Dalek?"

His eyes returned to me as he put the screwdriver away. I thought for a moment before answering.

"I think I brushed one as I was running out."

Another pop of pain hit my abdomen and I slid down the side of the fridge, my bottom hitting the floor. I let out a strained moan of pain.

"Which part did you touch?"

The Doctor squatted, coming down to my level.

"What?"

"It matters. Did you brush the laser or the multi-purpose hand?"

"The what?"

"The thing that looks like a whisk or the thing that looks like a plunger?" He raised his voice in urgency.

I took another moment.

"Which one's worse?"

"Rebecca!"

"The plunger!"

My body seized again and I let out another shout.

"What's happeni-" The end of my sentence was cut off by a scream as the pain advanced.

"No. No, no, no- it can't!"

"Doctor! Tell me!"

"You're turning into a Dalek."

He stood up, his muscles too tense to sit.

"What? How?"

"In a state of ultimate emergency, Daleks can transfer their blood to another living thing to keep the species alive. That living thing eventually mutates to become a Dalek- Dalek blood, mind, everything. There's only been one Dalek human before." He shuddered while his eyes gazed off, seemingly staring at nothing.

"All of its blood couldn't have transferred to me; I barely touched it!"

"Just skimming it could transfer it."

I opened my mouth to speak, but clamped it shut as I saw the small goose bumps appearing on my arms.

"Oh my God."

"What? Is the pain getting worse?"

"I'm cold."

His brow furrowed. "Now is the not the time to go running for a jacket!"

"No, my body temperature," I spasmed once again, "is hotter than normal because of the fire in my veins. I'm never cold. If I am cold, it means my powers are draining."

I looked up at the Doctor and his face was even paler than it was before (I didn't think he could get any whiter).

"The process has started."

"So how," another scream echoed through the kitchen, "how do you stop it?"

"I don't know."

My stomach dropped. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Daleks have never done this before. Ever. All Daleks fear change; only the pure, true Dalek can carry out their mission…Well, that's what they think anyway. Any mutant Dalek is lesser, bad stock. The only reason they would do this is if it was their last and final option."

He looked down at me and saw the tears welling in my eyes. He knelt down again, his eyes level with mine.

"I will fix you. I promise." He took my hand. "I am not losing someone else."

I looked deep into his eyes and then nodded, putting my trust in him.

"You showed me a med lab in here, right?"

"In the basement."

I curled over myself again, having the sensation that my stomach was being ripped out of my body.

"Ok, come here."

The Doctor reached his arms out and scooped me up, me trying not to hurt him as I spasmed in pain. He moved quickly down the hall and to the elevator, yelling at its slow descent to the underground.

"Come on, come on!"

The doors finally opened and the Doctor ran to the med lab. As he ran in, Professor Xavier and Alex rushed to us- almost as if they had been waiting.

"What are you two doing here?" questioned the Doctor.

"You don't have to be a telepath to hear those screams," said Alex, his face pale. "I knew they were hers."

"Hello! Turning into a murderous alien here!"

The Doctor set me down on the metal medical table as I continued to tense up in pain, and then went to the other side of the room, beginning to pace back and forth. I shut my eyes, but I felt Alex's hand slip into mine.

Suddenly, my arms began to burn as if someone was firing a flame thrower straight onto my skin. My eyes snapped open as the pain became overwhelming.

"Doctor! I managed to choke out. "What's…what's happening?"

The Doctor stopped his pacing and he came to my side, his eyes widening as he took a look. The blue veins which could be seen through my olive skin were slowly morphing into a dark, menacing green.

"The Dalek blood is moving down in your system," he said, no inflection in his voice.

His brow furrowed intensely and his eyes continue to shift back and forth as he worked through his overstuffed head for a possible solution.

"From what you told me, the Dalek blood should have consumed her already," said Professor Xavier, coming to the Doctor's side. "Why is it resisting?"

"Because I'm holding it," I managed to say, swallowing down another scream. "Water based, remember?"

As I spoke, for a split second, the pain stopped. My body went numb and I looked down at my arms, trying to figure out what happened. Then, something new emerged. Along with the searing pain and the feeling of someone burning me from the outside, a new sensation of someone dumping bottles of hot sauce into my veins enveloped me as well.

"Holy crap, that's hot!"

I immediately broke out into a sweat and arched my back before slamming it down on the table.

"Doctor, what's happening to her?"

Alex's voice remained strong when it should have shaken, probably (sadly) because he had seen me almost die twice before.

I saw through squinted eyes the Doctor looking over my arms, and his jaw clenched, his chest beginning to rise at a faster pace.

"Her veins are going brown," he said. "The Dalek blood is beginning to adapt and mix with hers." He paused and gasped in realization. "That's what they wanted all along!" he shouted. "They never wanted me to go to that lab; they wanted her. Well, they did want me to go, but the only reason they asked for me is because they knew you lot would come to help. Our ambush wasn't an ambush. We walked straight into their trap. Arg, why didn't I see it?"

"Why would they want her blood to mix with theirs?" asked Alex, obviously confused.

"They want to create a new species of Daleks. Ones with mutant powers."

The Doctor turned his back on me and slammed his fists into the wall.

"Gah! I don't know what to do!"

"I have an idea."

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Kill me."


	15. I Don't See A Better Option

"What?"

All three of them shouted in unison, all staring at me with wide eyes.

"I die and the Dalek blood goes with me. Besides, I don't," I cringed in pain. "I don't see a better option."

"Rebecca, you can't."

Alex tried to reason with me, his voice cracking as he pleaded, his hand squeezing mine. As he tightened his grip, the heat in my body intensified, like pressure grows in a bottle filled with air when you squeeze it.

"Alex, back up," I said through my clenched jaw.

"No, Rebecca, you're not…"

"I've got to get this heat out!"

"Wait!"

The Professor wheeled over to the wall by my feet and pressed a red button. The ceiling opened up and a large scanner descended above me. With one loud beep, the high-tech x-ray machine took a picture of the inside of my body and the Professor read the results, the Doctor looking over his shoulder.

"Does that…that says her temperature is at 112 degrees!" shouted the Doctor, his voice rising in pitch. "She should be dead!"

The Professor almost smiled. "Every other human being would be. But, for her, it's only four degrees higher than normal."

"Her average temperature is 108 degrees?"

The Professor nodded.

"Huh."

"You two! Get the hell down!"

I lifted my head and saw that my balled up hands were now a bright, crimson red, the heat collecting inside them.

"Now!"

The Doctor and Alex (letting go of my hand) dropped to the ground as the Professor pulled his head to his knees.

Once I knew they were out of the way, I snapped my hands open and columns of fire hit the ceiling, the pain seeming to fly out with them. Alex curled himself into a ball as the room's temperature spiked, but I could see the Doctor and Professor Xavier glancing up, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. After a few seconds, I closed my fists, just as tightly as before.

I laid there, breathing heavily, trying to figure out what was going on in my own body. Then, I realized the pain was gone. I felt numb for a minute, nothing moving, nothing hurting. But just as quickly as it had disappeared, it returned and with vigor. It hit me like a truck and I tensed up again.

"Did you see what just happened?" asked the Professor, looking toward the Doctor. "To her arm; did you see?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but the Professor cut him off, too excited to wait.

"When she expelled the flames, her veins went back to their normal color. It was only for a second, if that, but it happened."

"That means…" The Doctor's voice trailed off as he put his thoughts together. "Oh! She told me! Her veins have two layers! The Dalek blood is in her fire stream, not her blood stream! Oh, I love mutants!"

"So, if she shoots enough fire out, the blood should go with it!" concluded Professor Xavier.

"Yes! We've got it!"

The two of them high-fived as they put their plan together while Alex and I looked at them as if they were crazy.

"We have to be quick, though," warned the Doctor. "If we wait any longer, it could move into her actual blood stream, and once that happens, I don't think there's a way to reverse it."

I arched my back as another round of pain shot through me.

"We have a fire proof room just down the hall," said Alex, wanting to help. "The Danger Room."

"The Danger Room?" said the Doctor. "That was appropriately named."

"Doctor, come on!"

"Right."

Once again, the Doctor lifted me as gingerly as he could and rushed to our training simulation room. The giant metal doors slid open and let us into the massive Danger Room. The Professor fiddled with some controls at the front and the room quickly morphed into one with walls made of fire proof metal. The ceiling also rose to thirty feet high, but never reached the main floor of the mansion. The Doctor placed me in the center of the floor.

"If you expel enough fire, the Dalek blood should come with it and evaporate in the heat," explained the Doctor. "Can you pull as much blood as you can to your hands?"

I nodded and began to reach inside myself, pulling as much Dalek blood as I could to my palms, causing them to turn a murky green.

"How do we know when it's all out?" asked Alex.

The Doctor thought for a moment before reaching into his jacket.

"My sonic screwdriver can detect Daleks," he said. "If I point it at her, I should be able to tell when it's gone from her system."

The end of his explanation faded in my ears as I shrieked in pain, the blood fighting hard to escape my grasp.

"Alex, Professor, you need to get out," I managed to say.

"What? No way am I leaving." Alex bent down next to me, coming to eye level.

I turned to look at him. "I could kill you. I'm not going to control the flames; they're just going to go. I'm not risking you being in here."

"What about him?" His eyes shifted over to the Doctor.

"He's only allowed because he has no choice."

I looked into his eyes for another moment before I seized up again.

"Alex, come with me," the Professor leaned over and took Alex by the arm, standing him up and leading him to the door. "She will be fine."

The Doctor and I watched them leave until the doors shut, their faces locked behind them. Then, I began to feel the Dalek blood starting to escape my continuously weakening grasp.

"Ah, Doctor, hurry up!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going!"

He ran to the corner of the room farthest away from me and pointed the screwdriver in my direction, messing with the settings.

"I'll try not to hit you," I warned.

"Don't worry about me. Now, go!"


	16. It's In You

With a loud scream, I opened my hands and flames shot out of them, spanning in every direction. A few reached the top of the ceiling where they were sucked into a vent, but the others just swirled around the fire proof tiles, creating what would have been a very pretty fire show.

It continued like this for a minute or so, the fire continued to push its way out of me and swirl around the room in every direction it could. But then, I saw the fire beginning to move. It began to collect, seemingly by itself, and create a large column. It slowly began to edge its way toward a far corner: the corner the Doctor was sitting in.

"What are you doing?" he shouted as he squatted to his knees, sweat lining his forehead.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"It's got to be the Dalek in you! There's still more there; you have to fight it! Pull it out of your blood stream!"

"I thought you said it wasn't in my blood stream!"

"But it's in you! It's doing everything it can to consume you, and you have to fight it!"

I looked back toward the fire and pulled my fingers to the left, trying to get the fire to change its course. My hands began to shake as I pulled and pulled. I couldn't get the fire to change direction, but it did stop moving- my pull and its push cancelling each other out.

"Hold on to what you are, who you are. You're nearly there, come on!"

I began to think of my mom and her love for me. I thought about how her death led me to control my powers. I thought of Shaw and how surviving his terror made me stronger. I thought about what I wanted to be: someone who could help others and use my powers for good, not evil. I thought about Alex and Professor Xavier. Then, screaming another scream- this one of determination- I pulled as hard as I could and the fire swayed away from the Doctor as I took complete control.

"It's gone! Rebecca, it's gone, you can stop!"

I quickly closed my fists and just as the fire began to evaporate above me, I passed out, unconscious.


	17. I'm Leaving

The fog of unconsciousness slowly began to clear from my head, and I could just make out the rhythmic beats of the machine monitoring my heart.

"What I said before about mutants, I really meant that. You people are amazing! I mean, everyday humans are brilliant too, but you guys are double brilliant. What you can do, how you think, no one else can match that."

The Doctor continued to ramble on and I couldn't help but laugh a small, breathy chuckle.

"Oh, you're awake! Brilliant!"

I rubbed my eyes and finally opened them. The Doctor was sitting next to the bed, grinning at me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sincerely.

"Good, I think," I said, sitting up. "I think I need to wake up a little more first before I'm sure."

He chuckled and I looked around to realize that we were in my bedroom, not the medical wing like I had expected. To my right, though, was the heart monitor and wires were taped to my chest.

"We're in my room."

I immediately knew how stupid I sounded, but I couldn't get my brain to work much more than that.

"Excellent observation," said the Doctor, now looking around as well. "Professor Xavier figured your room would be more comfortable than the med lab."

I smiled. "I love him so much."

The Doctor smiled as well. "He's a good man."

We sat in silence for a moment, just looking around and at each other.

"I'm leaving."

The Doctor turned and looked at me and spoke with no emotion in his voice.

"What? Why?"

I went to sit up, but my sore muscles seized up, leaving me lying against my elbow.

"I have to tell Micaela's parents what happened."

"Oh…Right. Well, will you come back?"

"I haven't decided yet."

The Doctor dropped his eyes, then, looking toward the wooden floor.

"I think you should," I smiled. "I mean, if you want your coat back…"

"Wha-?"

The Doctor raised his head to see me pull his long coat up from the other side of my bed.

"Hey, Janis Joplin gave me that coat! Where did you get it, anyway?"

"You left in the foyer the other day. Someone asked me if I knew whose it was and I told them to just drop it off here and I would give it to you later. And don't worry, I'll take good care of it until you get back, I promise."

"You're blackmailing me with my coat."

"Listen, I know how you work, Doctor. You told me: you leave and don't look back. Believe me, I understand that it's easier. But, I want to see the inside of your time machine still, and I'm not exactly in a condition to do that right now."

He eyed me for a long time, one eyebrow cocked high.

"That's it? You just want to see the inside of the TARDIS?"

"I like you too, so I wouldn't mind seeing you again." I smiled. "But, a time machine doesn't land in your backyard every day."

"Neither does a Time Lord."

"Touché."

He laughed and looked back at his long, brown coat.

"Oh….fine, but if there's one stain on that…"

"It won't even leave the room."

I smiled widely and the Doctor couldn't help but let go of his threatening stare (which wasn't all that threatening) and smiled back.

"I'll see you soon, then," I said.

The Doctor stood, eyeing the jacket once more.

"I guess you will."


	18. Bonus Scene: I'll Come Back

"Doctor, it was an honor working with you."

Professor Xavier raised his hand I took it in a strong handshake.

"Same to you, Professor."

"I hope we see you again someday."

I let go of his hand.

"The universe is a wild place," I smiled. "Who knows what will happen?"

He smiled back. "Have a good trip."

With one final smile and nod, I turned and began walking down the hallway. But, instead of going out the front door, I passed it and continued walking until I reached the fifth door on the right. I knocked lightly before opening the door.

"Hey, Rebecca, I just wanted to say…"

My voice faded as I stepped inside the dark room and saw Rebecca, lying on her side, fast asleep. Lying on the edge of her bed was my coat, her toes sticking out from under it where the blanket had scrunched up.

I smiled and walked over the bed. Slowly so I wouldn't wake her up, I reached over her and pulled the blanket over her shoulders so she wouldn't get cold during the night. Once I made sure the blanket wouldn't fall off, I began to retreat out the door. With my body half way out, I looked back one more time.

"I'll come back," I whispered. "I promise."

Then, I closed the door softly and left Xavier's mansion, going to my TARDIS, sitting proudly on the front lawn, and started the engines, leaving 2012 behind.

**So, this is the end of Episode One: First Impressions! I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it, and stay tuned for Episode Two: Blood Lines! Thanks for reading!**


	19. Episode Two: Blood Lines

Fire blazed across the front lawn of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as I took out forty training dummies with one wave. The faceless mannequins' heads were up in flames, burning bright, and yet, it didn't satisfy me. Anger still ran through me and I could feel the beginnings of depression starting to settle in.

"It's a bit early in the morning to scare the others by burning down the grounds. Give them a few more hours of sleep at least."

I turned around to find Professor Xavier coming up behind me, a warm smile on his face.

"Hey." I turned back toward the dummies, pulled water from a bucket next to me and threw it over them, the flames fizzling.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. Just," I pulled a rock up from the Earth and chucked it at one of the dummies' head, knocking it off, "training."

He sighed as I turned back to him, his smile now transformed into a worried frown.

"Rebecca, I know you. Tell me what's wrong or…"

"Or what, you'll read my mind?"

I immediately wanted to take it back, but before I even knew what I was saying I had said it, my shoulders raised and my throat hurt from the force I shouted with. I looked toward the ground.

"Sorry."

I could see him smile softly out of the corner of my eye. "It's alright. I was going to say that you should tell me or it's going to bother you even more. Holding it in is never the answer; I believe you just demonstrated that."

I looked back into his bright blue eyes, the focus of his shaven head and I didn't see an ounce of anger. I never did.

I sighed, knowing he wouldn't let it go and that he was right. I crossed my arms.

"It's been two weeks," I finally said. "Since he left."

"The Doctor."

"He told me he would be right back, like, the morning. But, it's been two weeks. He lied; he left!"

Heat burned in my palms and I turned around again, unleashing a lightning strike on an unlucky dummy. It lit on fire once again and this time I didn't put it out.

"You feel betrayed by him, abandoned."

"I…"

I didn't really know how to respond. I had only known the Doctor for a few days. I didn't know him long enough for him to able to "abandon" me. Yet, that's exactly how I felt. The heavy heart and anger and sadness- I had felt it all before when my dad said he would hand me over to Sebastian Shaw, a man who rivaled Hitler in terms of bigotry (in this case between mutants and non-mutants). A man who was said he cared about me left me. I found myself looking toward the ground again.

"I guess."

The Professor wheeled forward, coming closer to me, and rubbed my arm consolingly.

"The Doctor seemed like a good man; an honest man. I'm sure whatever held him back was very important."

"Yeah." I looked down at him. "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it's not working."

The Professor chuckled. "I think you need to go do something off campus."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to get your mind off of everything, relax, do something fun like normal teenagers do."

This time, I was the one who chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think I qualify as normal."

"There's going to be a lecture on genetics at the college twenty minutes from here. Considering your interest in the subject, I think you should go. It might be interesting."

"Professor, why would I go listen to someone else talk about genetics when I have you as my legal guardian? The top scientists in the field go to you for help. They named the X Gene after you!"

He smiled bashfully. "Yes, but you never know what another has to say. Maybe this professor will know something I don't or maybe he'll put it in a way that's intriguing to you."

I cocked my head suspiciously. "You just want me to get out and socialize."

"And this would be a very fun way to do it."

I sighed again and looked over at the burning mannequin.

"Yeah," I thought to myself, "Maybe getting out isn't such a bad idea."


	20. The Family of Blood

Before leaving for the seminar, I went down to the basement, all the way down the long hallway, past all sorts of high-tech metal doors and machinery to end up in front of a set of large copper colored doors that looked to have been constructed in the 1940's. Through the doors was a very large, very long bomb shelter that Professor Xavier's stepfather had built during World War _II_, fearing atomic war. Now, it was used as a training facility for kids who had more…destructive powers.

Alex was standing a few feet into the bunker, setting himself up for a shot at the target he placed all the way on the other side. I closed the doors as quietly as I could and watched as he took a deep breath, set his feet shoulder length apart and tensed his arms at his sides. Then, with one large intake of breath, a beam of red energy shot out from the silver energy containment disk worked into his shirt (he needs something to help control the output of the blast or else the energy would just go everywhere) and sped across the room, all the way to the center of the target. As soon as the beam hit the foam circle, the entire thing was up in flames and he was smiling.

"Nice shot."

He turned around and saw me, his smile growing wider.

"Hey, what are you doing here? It's nice to see you smiling for once."

I walked over to him and hit him lightly on the arm.

"It's hard not to when I'm around you."

"Please stop before I vomit."

I laughed. "Sorry, I had to."

"So, why are you really smiling? Did you hear from him?"

"No, it's not him. The Professor suggested that I get off campus for a while. He told me that there's a seminar on genetics going on at the community college in town, and I thought I might as well go. Do you want to come with me?"

"Yeah, I don't think so."

He began walking to the other end of the bunker, grabbing a fire extinguisher off the wall halfway there.

"Come on, it'll be really interesting."

"Becca, you know me; I'd be snoring within the first minute of the dude's speech. You go and then you can tell me all of the exciting details later."

He smiled back at me again as he doused the target with white fog from the extinguisher, causing the flames to fizzle out.

"Fine. Your loss. But can you at least drive me there? Only fifteen, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Head over to the garage and I'll meet you there."

Doing as he said, I went to the garage on the other side of the mansion and within fifteen minutes, he was there was well. He took the keys to his brother (and also teacher) Scott's car and we drove off into the center of town to find Westchester Community College.

"Just text me when you need a ride back," he said through the open window of the car. "I don't think you want to fly yourself home with some air blasts as college students walk by."

"Yeah, I don't think that would help the whole keep-your-powers-a-secret thing."

He smiled. "See you later."

With another smile flashed in his direction, I went into the lecture hall and took a seat toward the back, the doors to my right on the other side of the room.

With power point slides, colorful models and intelligent answers to every question given to him, the middle aged professor had me completely enraptured. All of the people sitting there were just as interested, most of them with notebooks, scribbling down tidbits they thought were important.

Then, about halfway through the lecture, just out of my peripheral vision, I noticed four people walk in through the doors. I glanced over my shoulder slightly so I could see who they were, my lack of human contact making me curious about everyone around.

There were two adults, the man with his straw colored hair and beard several years older than the woman, and two children: a young girl who looked to be around nine or ten, a red balloon tied to her wrist, and a guy who I thought could've been seventeen or eighteen. What caused my brow to furrow, though, was how they were dressed. Their clothes seemed to belong several decades back (maybe even a hundred years), reminding me of pictures of families from the 1900's that I had seen in my history text book. They all stood by the door, not coming in and taking seats, all looking in my direction. I faced the professor again, going back to watching the family with the corners of my eyes. The whole family, in complete sync with each other, tilted their heads to the side eerily, and sniffed the air with a very large breath through the nose.

"_Professor ,_" I called out wearily in my mind, "_do you know who those people are? They seem kind of weird to me. They all look…possessed._"

A minute went by before I got an answer.

"_No, I don't know who they are, but I do suggest you leave_."

"_Why?_"

I turned toward the door and the four of them had disappeared.

"_Their intentions are not good_."

Trusting Professor Xavier's words, I got up slowly only to find that the woman had returned to the door, standing there like a security guard. I scanned around the room and saw that the man had taken a stance in front of the side emergency exit on the left side of the stage, the teenage boy at the back door in the right corner behind me and the little girl stood in front of the door on the right side of the stage.

Just as slowly as I had gotten up, I sat back down and sprawled my legs out, acting as if I had gotten up to stretch my muscles. My eyes kept watching the four exits, waiting for one of them to move closer. They all continued to stare in my direction, conveying the message that they weren't there for the lecture, but for me. Why: I had no idea! I had never seen them before in my life, let alone do anything that would end up with them corralling me in a room.

"_What do I do?" _I thought to myself, even though I knew the Professor would most likely be listening. "_I have to get away; they don't exactly look friendly…But I can't attack right now; there are too many people around…_"

"_Rebecca, do not attack them! Whatever you do, do __**not**__ attack. If you instigate them in a fight, they will kill everyone in that room…How did they get here? Oh, they must have followed me through the Vortex…_"

"_Doctor?_" I couldn't stop the small grin that crept onto my face at the sound of his voice.

"_Hello! Sorry it took me so long to come back- two weeks, blimey. It's hard to pinpoint exact points in time because my quantum flux gauge isn't working and…_"

"_You don't have to explain right now. I won't understand any of it anyway._"

"_Right._"

"_So, who are these people?_"

"_They call themselves the Family of Blood. They're aliens that took over human bodies. I met them once in 1913; that's why they look the way they do._"

"_What do they want with me?_"

"_Nothing, I don't think. The Family hunts by smelling- that's why they all sniffled as if they had colds- and everyone, every species, has a specific scent. Being a Time Lord, I'm unique; there's no other smell like it in the universe. They're looking for me- or at least, if they're agenda is the same as it was last time they are- and you're the person I've spent the most time with._"

The Doctor spoke at a pace I didn't know was possible to speak at, and yet every word was spoken clearly and precisely. I even managed to follow along.

"_So your 'scent' has rubbed off on me?_"

"_Most likely, yes. They know if they take you hostage, I'll come to save you._"

"_What do they want from you?_"

"_The rest of my regenerations; they could live thousands of years with the two I have __left._"

"_Ok…But what I don't get is why don't they just go straight to you? Why go the long way?_"

"_Because, like I said, I've met them before. Blimey, I thought they were dead. They already know__ that they can't take me head on; they want some leverage before facing me again._"

"_So…if I'm not attacking, what do I do? I don't think I should just walk away with people __who you say will kill an entire room without blinking an eye._"

"_That's exactly what you're going to do. Go with them peacefully and then, when you __get to an open area, get away from them. Don't kill anyone- try not to even hurt anyone. __Just get as much space between you and them as you can and come back to the mansion. I'll handle all this._"

"_Are you sure? Doctor, I can help..._"

"_No. Just go with them and then get away. That's it._"

I sighed. I hated not being able to do anything.

"_Fine._"

Standing up once more, I turned and walked to the back door, the pale boy standing in front of it with a sadistic grin on his face.

"I'll go with you."

His grin grew larger in satisfaction.

"Good choice."


	21. Dammit

"_So_," I asked telepathically as I was led out of the back of the college, into a large field of grass, "_why exactly can I hear you in my head?_"

"_Professor Xavier reestablished the telepathic link. This is the last time, I swear._"

I chuckled in my mind. "_Oh, gotcha. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get away from murderous aliens_."

"_Sounds like a normal day to me._"

I smirked as we reached the center of the field, the Family now in a circle around me like a human (well, not really human) corral. I raised my arms to my waist and put my hands just a few inches away from each other, collecting a ball of air. When it was big enough, I extended my arms and the ball thinned itself into a ring around me, flew out and collided with each of the Family members, causing them to fall on the ground, grunting in pain and surprise.

I took off, jumping over the little girl, and went to the right so I would run straight to the mansion.

"_You'll have to go through the forest_," instructed the Professor as I sprinted toward the tree line.

"_I can do that. Once I'm out of sight, I'll go underground so they can't find me._"

Now, a few feet away from the trees, the shadows at the edge of the forest began to move. Instinctively, I slowed my pace. Then, an army of scarecrows rose from behind the bushes, walking like zombies- but with impressive speed- toward me.

"What the hell?"

"_Rebecca, what is it?_"

Ignoring the Doctor's question, I dug the heels of my feet into the ground and stopped myself short. I threw my right hand out, fingers straight and stiff, palm up, and a wave of fire swallowed the thirty or so straw men whole, all of them falling to floor in a burning heap.

"Freeze, girl!"

Flipping around, I found the Family had recovered quite quickly and were now standing, silver and green guns with odd shaped barrels pointed at me.

"What is this?" shouted the woman in a shrill, excited voice. "A mortal girl with the power of the gods?"

"No wonder the Time Lord chose to befriend her, Mother of Mine," said her son. "She is a mutant!"

"Still," the grizzly, rough voice of who I know assumed to be the "father" spoke out next, "she is no match to a gun."

They turned their eyes from each other and returned to me, all smirking in victory. Smirking as well, I raised both hands and fisted them, going to grab the earth in the guns and turn them to dust, the Family's plan along with them. But, as my hands began to cramp as I pulled harder and harder, the guns didn't budge from their hands; they didn't come flying toward me like they should have. I stared at the rounded gun with its green accents, strange handle and trigger, aggravation and slight panic beginning to rise in me.

"_They're not from Earth. There's no earth in them. They're alien._ _Dammit._"

My smirk faded as my hands fell back to my sides. I could make a run for it; fly high into the air and over the forest back into the mansion, or shoot another air wave. But, they were right. If those guns shot bullets, I would have no way to stop them; there wouldn't be any earth for me to control.

"_Rebecca, go with them_," said the Doctor urgently.

"_I can still get away. If I create an air shield, or go underground…_"

"_Rebecca, if you go with them, you can find out what their plan is and tell me. They aren't the best criminals; they like to boast._"

"_What about you?_"

"_Once they have you in their custody, they'll send me some sort of message, telling me that they have you. I'll come as if I had no idea and we'll do whatever we have to do._"

I kept looking around the field as if I was looking for a way out as I spoke to the Doctor, keeping the Family off the fact that I could converse telepathically.

"_So, I'm in the same situation as Micaela was right now?_"

He sighed mentally. "_It's a similar state, yes._"

"_Doctor, if you'd just let me handle this..._"

"_I'm asking nicely. Just go before they get suspicious._"

I sighed, knowing he wasn't going to back down. I thought it would be simple if I just took care of it; then all would be done with and another bad force would be ridded from the world. But, no, he had to take the high road. Finally, I looked at them eye to eye and the son smiled, raising his gun higher so it was level with my forehead.

"Put your hands behind your head! Now!"

I did as he said, crossing my fingers behind my head.

"Now walk forward."

I began to walk the distance between us as they began to talk to each other; every other human wouldn't have been able to hear them, but you hear a lot when you can control air currents.

"Just like any average human: dull and thick and, when it comes down to it, a coward."

My jaw tensed and I let go of the air, letting the rest of their conversation go unheard. They all smiled as I finally stood in front of them.

"Good girl," said the son, stepping forward. "Now, I would love to be able to let you just come with us conscious, but after what we've seen here I don't think that's possible."

Then, with incredible speed and precision, his hand came down on my neck, right on the pressure point. Before I was even really sure what had happened, my body crumpled to the ground and my eyes shut, leaving me unconscious in their custody.


	22. Won't Hold Back

As soon as I started to come to, I knew I was chained up. My arms hung straight out as if I was on a cross, metal cuffs tight on my wrists. My head was hanging low, my chin just barely brushing my clavicle, my neck muscles straining, twinging. There was noise coming from activity around me; I presumed it was the Family moving around wherever they had me (a spaceship was a wild guess). I began to raise my head, groaning in reaction to how stiff I was.

"Oh, look!" said the brother as I rolled my head, cracking my neck, "The prisoner has awoken. Only took her seven minutes; I'm impressed."

Finally opening my eyes, I found I was being held against one of the walls of their green lit space craft, and it wasn't exactly impressive. It was dirty and dank with not much space to move around. I looked toward the floor and I was barely able to touch it with the tip of my toes, the chains that the cuffs around my wrists were attached to pulling me up.

"_Professor, the chains are metal_," I said to him. "_Earth metal; I can feel it._"

"_I don't think angering them is the best idea, Rebecca_." He responded with the trademark Xavier calm. "_Leave it be for now_."

"_I can handle them and you know it_."

"_Waiting for the Doctor is the best option_."

"_Waiting is the best option? You aren't with these people right now; they aren't exactly rational- or sane- beings. The longer we wait, the longer they have time to create some crazy scheme_."

"_Have they hurt you?_"

Professor Xavier completely ignored my argument- his signal that he has already made up his mind. I sighed mentally.

"_No, I'm fine._"

"_Ok. The Doctor will be there shortly. It took us a few minutes to pinpoint where they took you._"

"_I don't get why he's coming straight to the people that want to kill him. He should stay back, stay safe, and let me handle this! There's no point for him to put himself in danger like this._"

"_The Doctor has made it explicitly clear that he will not be committing genocide again._"

I knew right away he was talking about the Daleks, and right away I didn't understand. He told us that the Daleks were his greatest enemies, his most dangerous enemies. Why he was now regretting taking them out of the universe, I wasn't sure. They were evil, they didn't deserve to live…right?

"_Fine, whatever he wants. But, if these people lay a hand on me, I won't hold back. You know that._"

The Professor sighed, a bit of aggravation slipping through. During the whole conversation, the Doctor said nothing, even though we were talking about him. I could feel his presence, though, in my mind; quiet, waiting.

"So tell me mutant," I looked up at the teenage boy whose face was now settled in a look of disapproval (probably because I ignored his first comment), leaving my telepathic daze, "how do you handle all that power in your body?"

"A lot of discipline and practice."

I curled my unchained legs up toward my chest and then extended them, stretching them out, showing the Family I wasn't threatened.

"You're a dedicated soul," said the father, coming up behind his son. "You'll be perfect."

"Perfect? Perfect for what?"

"What else can you do, hmm?" the mother now shot to the front, the smile on her face showing the depth of her crazy. "We've already witnessed your control of fire and air- what else is there?"

"I control the five elements: air, water, earth, fire and lightning."

"That. Is. Fascinating."

The brother easily maneuvered his way around his parents and stood inches away from me, leaning his face into mine. I pulled back on the chains and grimaced, turning away from him.

"Dude, brush your teeth."

He smiled and backed away, but just slightly.

"I wouldn't insult me, human. I have a very flared temper."

"Yeah, so do I."

His smile fading, obviously not happy with my answering back, he took another step back and raised his hand, it angled to come into contact with my cheek. But, as he brought it around with full force, his hand froze in midair.

"Wha…I don't…"

He strained to push it forward, but to no avail. He turned to me and I just smiled.

"Did you know that there's a lot of water in those human bodies you've occupied? Like I said, I practice."

His eyes flashed to my hand which was holding still, my fingers curved and facing him as I kept hold of the water inside him. Then, I flicked my fingers and he flew back into the wall, sliding to the ground with a grunt. The rest of the Family looked at me, scared as well as infuriated, but they didn't move.

"_Told you I wouldn't hold back._"

"_That seemed pretty held back to me_," responded the Doctor.

My brow furrowed.

"_Come on, I've seen what you can do; you're a Class Five mutant! If you really gave it your all, they would all be dead. But, they're not. You held back, and that's a great thing!_"

I didn't say anything in return, but his words echoed through my mind a couple of times.

Throughout the short conversation, I kept watch on the Family and the son had finally stood, brushing the dirt of his pants. He smiled toward me and walked forward, only to turn to the left at the last second. I began to relax, but then, out of nowhere, he flung around and slapped me hard across the cheek.

I let my head come back slowly, exhaling loudly through my nose. My hands curled into fists and I could feel the fire rising within me. Within a millisecond, my fists flew open and the cuffs around my wrists vanished into dust. The chains fell to the floor with a crash and the teenager, now well aware he made a very large mistake, stumbled backward into his father.

"_You want to see me not holding back…_"

I raised my hands to strike when the mother suddenly rose her chin in the air, taking a giant whiff of air into her nose.

"The Time Lord!" she shouted. "He's here!"

For some reason, as soon as she announced the Doctor's arrival, I felt my anger cut short, simmering back just enough so my arms fell back to my sides. My breathing, however, remained short and angry.

"Come my family!" exclaimed the brother, all fear now lost. "Immortality has arrived!"


	23. Everything

With one hand tightly gripped to my shoulder, the Father led me down the ramp of their spaceship and into the grassy field. Directly in front of us, about six or seven feet away, stood the Doctor. His face was cold and hard, his large eyes fixated on us. He looked at me and gave a slight nod. Lowering my shoulder to escape the Father's grasp, I tried to make a run for it, but his reflexes were too quick and he jolted me back. I hurtled into the Brother's grasp and his left hand seized me in a tight hold on my arm while his right hand reached behind him, pulled out one of their strange alien guns and placed it at the base of my neck, the cool barrel pressed against my skin.

"_This. Is. Great._" I commented. "_There's now a gun to my head that I can't stop from firing. Please do something, and now would be lovely_."

"_Relax._"

"What is it with you lot and guns?" The Doctor spoke out loud now, his commanding voice filling the empty meadow. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and he began to take a few steps forward, his face becoming animated. "If you're so superior, you should be able to take an unarmed man easily, but that's not really the point, is it? The real point is that I'm here, you don't need a bargaining chip anymore, so now it's time to let her go."

As I stood, very impressed with the Doctor, I could feel my legs losing their solidity; it felt like I was beginning to fall asleep standing up, my limbs starting to feel a bit like jell-o. My vision began to blur and I began to sway. The Brother's hold on me tightened and stopped the swaying, the gun still firmly against my neck.

"_Doc…_" I tried to speak to him, but my thoughts began to blur together into one large cloud in my head.

The Doctor's brow furrowed and his eyes became cold once more. "What have you done to her?"

His fists slowly curled into fists at his sides.

"You don't believe that this is an actual gun, do you Doctor? Not so perceptive after all, Time Lord."

"You are not the only one who can travel through time and space," shouted the Mother with excitement. "And on our travels, we became good friends with a very influential and powerful man."

"And who would that be?" The Doctor continued to move closer, seemingly not to the Family's awareness.

"Sebastian Shaw."

I let out a sharp gasp, the name causing my heart to pound. "You knew Shaw?"

"Who's Shaw?"

"The serum Shaw had that deactivated your powers for six hours," the Brother ignored the Doctor's question and spoke directly to me, "it was our creation, our doing."

"How did you know I would still be alive today if you knew what he was going to do?"

"We came here first, of course! We knew you survived."

"And now you're radiating it into me with the gun."

"So clever for a human, isn't she, Doctor?"

"You knew this whole time that I was a mutant."

I could feel him press the gun harder against the base of my neck and I fell to my knees, my legs no longer able to hold my weight.

"We spied on you, Doctor, before making our move!" the Brother now addressed him, his voice getting louder as his pride and arrogance swelled. "You didn't think after our last confrontation we would just attack you blind, did you?"

My hands grabbed at the grass now as I was reduced to holding myself on all fours.

"But it's me you want! I'm the Time Lord; I'm the key to your immortality!"

"Oh, don't be so arrogant. We want her as well; she is much more than a 'bargaining chip'."

"What could you possibly want from a fifteen year-old human?

"Her everything."


	24. Note to Readers

Hello faithful readers!

This is just a note to all of you guys to say that I am so, so, so sorry for being so terrible at updating! I'm in my junior year of high school now and I'm completely buried under homework; finding time to write new chapters is getting very hard. But, I swear that there will be something up soon for every story. So, thank you SO much for sticking with me and following and favoriting; I promise you won't wait too much longer!

Thanks for having boat fulls of patience!

Stephanie (bakstar1996)


	25. One Chance

"Her everything?"

"Her body, her mind, her soul. Everything."

"Why?"

Finally, the Brother pulled the gun away from me as the serum completed its purpose. Goose bumps began to dot my arms as the lovely heat from my veins dissipated, my powers draining from my body.

"My elder sister has yet to find a body. She has an…interesting mind, and we had yet to find a human who could possibly hold her. But, now, I believe we have found a perfect match. With Time Lord immortality and mutant powers, she will be unstoppable."

"And uncontrollable," I managed to say.

"What was that?" The Brother tilted his head down in my direction, but wouldn't kneel next to me; I think he enjoyed being above someone he knew was more powerful than him.

"If she takes over my body, she won't know how to control my powers. She'll destroy herself and everything around her."

The Family laughed and I glanced over at the Doctor, my brow furrowing.

"She will have your memories, mortal. That won't be a problem."

Then, the Mother came up from behind me, an orb resting in her hands. It looked like one a fortune teller would have, except there was green smoke swirling around inside in tight circles. I looked back at the Doctor when I realized that the whole time he was talking to the Family, he was walking forward - just slightly- taking baby steps toward me.

"_Doctor, without my powers I'm defenseless._"

His fingers reached into the sleeve of his jacket and, I could just make out the tip of his sonic screwdriver, the blue rounded head lit up.

"_You're still warm_," he said. "_Your powers are still active._"

"_But I don't have the strength!_"

"_All you need is one blast, one air blast. I'll do the rest._"

The Mother stepped in front of me, lowering the orb so it was level with my forehead. I raised my eyes to meet hers, and then flicked my fingers up. The globe flew out of her hands and back; she only watched in shock as the Doctor took a few steps backward and caught it easily in his hands. Breathing started to become harder and I closed my eyes, trying to send as much brain power as I could to the task of keeping myself oxygenated.

"Wow, this is quite light if I'm honest," the Doctor said, twirling the orb around in his hand, observing it. "She must not have a lot of substance, a bit light in the head maybe?"

He twirled his finger around next to his temple, giving a very enthusiastic crazy sign.

"But, anyway, I believe I have the upper hand now, so when I say back away from her, back away!"

He screamed the last two words, his brow furrowing low and his teeth now bared. His eyes went from playful and joking to dark and intense. The Family, acutely aware of the threat the Doctor holds, retreated slowly from me. When they were a few feet away, I managed to get myself back on my feet, but not for long. The drug still moving its way through my system, my feet stumbled around under me. If the Doctor didn't have as quick reflexes as he does, I would've fallen flat on my face; instead, I found myself in his arms, using his chest as a support.

"You alright?" he whispered.

"Yeah."

"I'll give you once chance- take your sister and leave."

He held the orb out to them, his face still as hard as stone.

"Why would we leave now?" said the Brother, an evil grin still on his face. "We have everything we want right here."

All four of them reached behind their backs and pulled out guns, real ones this time. Then, at the worst time humanly possible, my legs decided to give out and I fell to my knees. The Doctor came to the ground with me, his arms around me as protection.

"_I can't do it. I can't run, not like this._"

The Doctor stared at me for what seemed like an hour and then, without a word, he raised his hands and placed one on each side of my face.

"_What are you…_"

He closed his eyes and his hands became very warm. Suddenly, I could feel my strength coming back to me; the heat returned to my veins and washed any goose bumps away.

"_I just restored your powers. Now run back to the ship._"

"_What?_"

"_Run under the engine. Go!_"

Doing as he said, I picked myself up and we both began to sprint the several yards to the ship. Using the air around us, I guided him toward the engine which- of course- we couldn't see. The Family began to shoot widely around us, their shots crisscrossing around our feet or flying into the open air and hitting a nearby tree. Once under the engine, the Doctor turned toward them.

"Go on! Shoot us!"

Then, he dropped the orb on the ground and slammed his foot down on it, smashing the glass into several large chunks. The green smoke began to ascend from its cage, and I could tell that it was slithering its way toward me. With my powers restored, I laid a flat palm in its direction and sent a small stream of fire out, lighting it up. It began to burn in the air, turning into dark black smoke.

"No!"

In a fit of rage, the Family aimed all at once toward us and shot. All four beams were too high and hit the invisible engine above us. The side of their craft exploded, but the Doctor and I remained safe as I took control of the flames as soon as they erupted, lassoing them into a circle around us.

When I looked back out toward the field, the members of the Family were all on their backs, knocked over by the explosion. Jaw clenched, I shot my hand forward and the fire followed, ready to engulf them all.

"No!"

The Doctor yelled next to me and I turned my fingers up, stopping the flames within inches of the Brother's face.

"They wanted to kill you…and me. They don't deserve to live." I spoke through gritted teeth, my jaw still locked in place.

"Rebecca, don't become what you hate, please. Think about your mother, what she believed, what she wanted for you."

I turned to him, my eyes wide with confusion.

"How do you…"

"She died trying to save you, right? She gave her life so you could lead a great one. Don't turn into the people she was trying to save you from."

I had no response. My brain went blank, not one thought came through. I had already killed someone once- someone who deserved it, but someone nonetheless. Didn't that mean that I already stepped over the line?

"_You can always take a few steps backward._"

He smiled at me warmly and placed his hand on top of my wrist. Slowly, he lowered it down and the flames evaporated into the air. I took a deep breath in, my arms beginning to shake a little.

"Thank you."

Letting go of my hand, he returned to his straight faced, serious demeanor and took the orb from the ground. Using his sonic screwdriver, he mended the glass so there was only one hole about the size of a gumball left. He walked over to them and, after taking one or two more deep breaths, I followed.

"Not going to let her kill us, Time Lord?"

"No."

He raised the globe in front of them and turned the sonic screwdriver on, pointing it toward them. The four bodies arched their backs and then green smoke came out of their mouths and noses, the Family of Blood leaving them. The gas, almost as if there was an unseen force pulling them, were sucked into the orb and when the very last bit of dark green smoke was trapped, the Doctor sealed the last hole, trapping them forever.


	26. Author's Note

Hey readers!

I know I've been on hiatus for a really long time, but I figured to get anything done, I need to focus on one story and finish that one before doing anything else. So, I will be working on X-Men Avatar: The Next Chapter before moving onto my other two stories. Sorry for the long wait, but school takes up a lot of time! I hope you stay with me and my stories, because I swear they will be finished eventually!

Thank you for understanding,

Stephanie :)


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